Remure Memorium
by At the End of Dreaming
Summary: The hardest thing to say is nothing at all. When Dillon and Ziggy are seperated from the rest of the team a secret Ziggy never should have kept will be revealed. Ziggy doesn't expect forgiveness. Slash, Dillon/Ziggy.
1. Prologue

I do not own the Power Rangers. Warnings: slash, Dillon/Ziggy.

Remuré Memorium

Prologue

Chocolate brown eyes gazed out at the city before him. The wind ruffled through soft brown hair, curling it into even more of a mess than it already was. It didn't bother him though. He curled his knees to his chest and leaned back against the wall behind him. Corinth was most beautiful at night and the best view he had found of it was from the roof of the Garage. But then again, he was probably prejudiced. He closed his eyes, a soft tune building in the back of his mind. Before he knew it, the words were pouring past his lips.

"_Remuré Memorium, my dear._

_Remuré Memorium._

_Between the shadows_

_and sunny skies_

_There are things_

_we just will not say._

_With bleeding hearts_

_we let this go._

_And those silky promises_

_Just fade away._

_Remuré Memorium, my dear_

_Remuré Memorium._"

Ziggy sighed softly as he trailed off, unable to complete the slow, smooth ballad. Pain built strongly in his heart but he pushed it back. For almost a year he had done nothing but cry. It was time he stopped and moved forward. That's what he told himself anyways. It was hard when a reminder of everything he'd lost was nothing more than a few feet away no matter what. But the Rangers had everything he could ever want and more than he could ever need.

And besides, he had done harder things.

He stood up and brushed off his pants, determined not to let himself get depressed. He plastered a smile on his face, the one lie the team never suspected, and re-entered the building. He jogged down the stairs to the catwalk on the second level and leaned against the railing, gazing down at his team.

Scott was playing pool with Summer of all people and Ziggy spared a thought to wonder when he was going to learn. Scott was stern, a little too rule conscious for his tastes, but he cared and that was more than Ziggy could say about even his -now dead- parents. Summer was more of a mother than he'd ever had. She was the one that laughed at his jokes and smiled when he did something strange just because he could. Flynn was working on his car, making last minute repairs due to the battle this morning. He had a nice smile and a funny accent and was the on that had taken the time to try and make sure he knew enough about Ranger equipment to use it competently. Gem and Gemma were writing in their diaries and Ziggy pretended not to notice that Gemma was glancing up at Flynn very other minute; that was a relationship he didn't touch. The twins had an innocence that was refreshing and a child-like enthusiasm that made him giddy. They were the ones that understood the need to smile or otherwise fall apart and the ones that had taken the time of day to properly teach him how to fight.

"Ziggy."

He turned at the call and grinned brightly when he noticed Dillon walking towards him. Dillon was a god-send. Some days, he was the only thing that kept him going. Unfortunately, other days, he was the sole reason he wanted to quit. "Hey Dillon." he greeted.

Dillon leaned against the railing next to him. "What were you thinking about?"

"Things." He answered vaguely, waving a hand in front of his face. Dillon arched an eyebrow at him and he smiled back despite how his heart clenched.

Dillon was a painful reminder of everything he'd lost and the only things he'd cared about. His fiancé and his fiancé's sister; both of whom were still alive but now out of his grasp. He sighed slightly and glanced down slightly. His gaze caught and held on the interlocking golden keys that hung half-hidden around Dillon's neck. A strange, not-quite-real smile twisted Ziggy's lips up and he laughed softly.

He had done some hard things. He'd left home when he was six years old, dealt with an arranged marriage, fallen in love with the wrong sibling, and lost the two people he loved more than the world itself. He'd lived through the end of the world, joined the mob, risked his life for kids he barely knew, and traveled through the Wastelands. He had become a Ranger and fought Venjix daily. But the hardest thing he'd ever had to do, was nothing at all. Especially when he knew merely telling the truth could heal the heart of his best friend.

He straightened and patted a now-confused Dillon on the shoulder before walking to his room. "Good night!" He shouted to the Garage at large and heard several replies before he shut his door.

Once he was sure it was locked and there was no chance someone might walk in on him, he pulled a too-long chain necklace from beneath his shirt. The chain was long enough that it never slipped out and no one ever noticed it. Two gold bands hung from it; his parents' wedding rings; the rings that would have been his if not for Venjix. But they didn't hold his attention, not any more.

He sat down on his bed and pulled the chain off his neck so he could better look at the third object dangling from it. It was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do; not say anything. It physically hurt that he couldn't tell the truth. Watching Dillon tear himself apart everyday and not do anything and everything he could tore him apart some days. It hurt even worse when he could no longer run away from the reality that all it would take was a few words to get back everything he'd lost- or ruin it all forever.

He gazed down at the object that could ruin everything if the wrong person ever got their hands on it. The one thing no one could find out about, not yet. A long thin key, with a wide hoop at the end, and three prongs. It was gold and shined in the dim light. It was an exact match for the two keys Dillon had and he knew beyond a doubt that it would fit in Dillon's pocket watch. And it would play.

He knew that it would fit, knew what song it would play, because he had gotten it when he was 16, from Dillon himself.


	2. Chapter 1

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 1

Ziggy liked being a Ranger.

Okay, maybe he didn't like the fighting, or the aching muscles, or the daily near-death experiences. But he liked being a Ranger. He liked the unity, the familial relationship, of the team and the sense of purpose and feeling like he was actually doing something. Most of all, he liked the bright, pure warmth of Ranger Series Green, the power that reminded him so strongly of the magic he had used as a child.

The magic that had been sealed inside him, beyond his reach and control, leaving him feeling cold and empty as the nearly overwhelming presence of his magic, a constant, reassuring thing in the back of his mind since the day he was born, almost of alive in its own right, was locked away.

And maybe he could have dealt with that. Except it hadn't been the only thing he'd lost that day a year and a half ago. He'd lost something just as precious and important. He'd lost Tenaya and the closet thing he'd get to a soul-mate: Dillon. The two people he would give up everything for and nearly had once. The two that had saved his life, that even now kept him safe in their own little ways. The two that could not remember him and the two he could not forget.

Ziggy Grover loved being a Ranger. He loved being part of a team. But he hated the reminders of his past in said team. And most of all, he hated this.

Dillon and Summer were in the kitchen, standing too close to each other and wearing identical guilty expressions as they stared at him. Ziggy blinked slowly, his mind slow in processing what he was seeing. Summer and... Dillon?

He didn't know why he was surprised. He had known Dillon had been attracted to Summer for a while. But he had ignored it, pushed it to one side so he wouldn't have to deal with until he had to, even though he knew that that would be the moment it would hurt the most. And that moment was know. Already he could feel his heart clench tightly in his chest and he had to forcibly push back tears.

He didn't have time to think about the situation or what he was going to do- if he did, he might ruin everything- so he fell back on what had become reflex by now. It wasn't easy, not this time, but he did it. He smiled widely enough that it nearly split his face in half. It was the smile he used to bury his lies and hide his sadness; the smile that was as hollow as it was beautiful, fake as it was wide. It was his perfect lie, his own shield, because he knew that if he smiled wide enough no one would notice the pain in his eyes.

"Well, what do we have here?" he asked, tone as light as he could make it. He pushed his emotions to the back of his mind, knowing he was going to pay for it later, but also knowing that lying was the only option he had at the moment. Summer laughed sheepishly, a small pink tint to her cheeks. Dear, dear, Summer. No matter how much he wanted to hate her, he couldn't. She didn't know and it wasn't her fault that he couldn't tell her the truth, that he couldn't tell her Dillon was taken, that Dillon was _his_.

Dillon merely stared at him, eyes dark with an emotion he couldn't name. It was another knife to his heart, that he could no longer know what Dillon was thinking merely by looking at him. He had been able to do that once; had once been able to know what the older man was thinking even when he was half-way around the globe. He looked at the older man now and felt as if there was an entire ocean between them, something he had never felt even in their roughest moments. His smile wavered slightly, not enough for the inexperienced eye to catch, but Dillon's expression shifted just as minutely, showing he had noticed, and Ziggy knew he had to get out of there. "Well," he said, forcing a laugh out of his throat. It was nearly as rough and hysterical as he thought it would be. In fact, it sounded almost normal. "I think I'll just let you get back to what you were doing."

And he turned and ran.

Normally, in situations like this, he'd go to Gem and Gemma, who understood what it meant to have to smile or fall apart and never asked or worried if he acted strange or depressed. But not this time. This time he needed to be alone. This time he needed to do more than just give into bouts of depression. This time, he needed to break down completely. And if he slammed his door shut a little harder than he should have, well, he had the small comfort of knowing the twins would at least ensure no one bothered him.

He collapsed face down on his bed, folding his arms underneath his head, and let down the barriers in his heart that stopped the tears. Then he cried. Cried heavy, body-wracking sobs that tore painfully past his throat and thankfully left no room to think. He lost track of time as he cried. Only knew that he cried for a very long time, until he was exhausted. It wouldn't make him feel better, he knew that from experience, made it drained him enough to not feel anything for a blessed long time.

And when he was done, when he was too tired to feel but too awake to sleep, he thought. He thought about Summer and Dillon. About dear Tenaya and her lost freedom. About Dillon. About Dillon and _Summer_, not Dillon and him anymore. He had thought he'd gotten used to it. Gotten used to the fact that he and Dillon... that they'd lost their chance, no matter what Dillon had once promised him. He thought he could learn to accept Dillon and Summer, maybe even like it, as long as it meant Dillon was happy.

But he'd been wrong. It hurt to much to watch him with someone else, even if that person made him happy.

He didn't know why he'd thought it would be easy. He'd loved Dillon practically since their first meeting, which he knew was strange considering him and Dillon had been eight and ten respectively. And they'd had such little time. Half of the time they'd known each other, he'd either been out of the country or in an arranged marriage with Tenaya.

He could still remember how they'd met.

_Ziggy Grover had been born into a large family. He himself had been an only child but the sheer number of cousins and second-cousins he'd had had more than made up for it. He was lucky if he could remember 1/3 of their names have the time. If he was really lucky, he might recognize one of them if he passed them on the street. His family had also been an old one, with ties traced back to the Middle Ages and, although he'd never believed it, one of China's royal families. _

_They were old, and powerful. Not just in money and position, although they had had a lot of that, but in magic. Real magic, the kind the rest of the world had long since lost and forgotten. For as long as he could remember, Ziggy had been instructed in the ancient arts right along side math and language. He had taken to it with a skill unmatched by any of his family and had had more raw power than even his father, who had been the head of the family in every sense of the word._

_Ziggy Grover had grown up in a world of glamor and jewels, magic and power and spells. He'd grown up in a world that was as much politics as it was family. Because if it had been merely about family he would never have been put in a situation like this. _

_Since the time he had been six he had been away from home, away from the large mansion that his young mind had once thought to be like a palace, like a fairytale, moving from China to Japan to even Egypt in order to better control the massive power that raged within him. After two years he had come home to a party. His welcome home present had not been meant for his enjoyment. No eight-year-old cherished the thought of an arranged marriage to a girl he'd never met before._

_The Kanes' had been friends with his family for as long as anyone could remember; had always matched them easily in terms of money, influence, and magic. The head family had two children, a son and a daughter. And both their parents had come up with the brilliant idea to further combine the families, to marry off the children of the head families. That meant him and one Tenaya Kane. _

_She was nice, he guessed. He had never met her but that's what he had been told. She would need someone to watch her though, as her magic had deteriorated her sight beyond repair by even the most advanced healing spells. He guessed that was one thing he'd have in common with her: magic completely beyond their control._

_He shifted uncomfortably in place, feeling awkward and out of place in the middle of the ballroom and the grand party folding around him. The people, his family, danced around and around in intricate patterns that made him dizzy just watching. Soft music, nearly a full orchestra with three female singers floated around him._

_He wanted out of here. He wanted to go back to Japan and Egypt, where he had been just another kid, just another student, and not the future head of his family. He clamped down on his emotions before they could effect his still tenuous control over his magic and cause havoc. He looked around for a way out and found his gaze drawn to one of the wide balconies. He didn't know why but he started to walk towards it before he'd even really thought about. But if it got him away from this crowd, he didn't mind._

_It was dark outside, the only light coming from the room behind him, the half-moon, and the far-off stars. He took a deep breath, wincing slightly at the tainted air that was so different from what he had gotten used to. For a long moment he enjoyed the silence. Then he realized he wasn't alone. Leaning against the railing was another young boy, older than him and bigger to, but not by much. Yet even from here, he could feel the magic buzzing through him. He froze, staring at the boy in surprise and awe. _

_He was, too his young eyes, the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. His hair shined in the dim light, smooth and fly-away and the darkest shade of brown he'd ever seen/ His skin was tanned from days spent in the sun and he looked amazing in the tux he was wearing. Ziggy gulped thickly and tried to turn away but found himself unable to. Finally, he decided it best to say something before the older boy turned and noticed him staring. "Um... Hello." he called, watching as the unnamed boy jerked and turned to look at him. He offered the most charming smile he had. "I'm Ziggy. Ziggy Grover."_

_The other boy stared at him with wide eyes, seemingly at a loss for words. Ziggy knew how he felt. Trying not to embarrass himself or the other boy he walked forward and braced his arms against the railing. He glanced over at the older boy. "Do you want to be alone?" he asked._

_He shook his head, still staring at him with wide eyes. "No, no. you can stay if you want. I'm Dillon. Dillon Kane."_

_Ziggy felt his smile deflate a little. Ah, the brother. Probably not the person he wanted to be talking to right now. He'd heard how protective older brothers could be. But still, he couldn't pull himself away from this boy. So he did what he did best. He smiled and talked. A lot._

_Normally, people got annoyed with him before he could barely start. But not Dillon. No, Dillon stood next to him and let him talk. More over, he actually seemed to listen, something not even his parents did much anymore. And that, well, that made him Ziggy's new best friend._

_He wasn't sure how long they stood there,k trading bits and pieces of their lives with each other. But it was nice and calm, gentle and unhurried. And for a few precious minutes, Ziggy forgot the rest of the world. So when the wind blew, sharp and strong, tossing his hair about and into his face, he didn't protest when Dillon reached forward and help comb the curls back into some semblance of order. And when Dillon didn't pull away like he should have, he didn't say anything. And when Dillon leaned forward, he forgot everything else. He forgot his family, his position, his arranged marriage. He forgot everything but this moment. _

_Dillon's lips on his was the most exquisite thing he'd ever felt. Butterflies flared to life in his stomach, making him giddy, making him press back delightfully. Fire danced pleasantly through his body as his magic responded, flowing gently through his veins. The kiss was gentle and chaste and kind. It made Ziggy feel welcomed and at home. For the first time, he felt like he belonged some place. He didn't want to move._

_They only pulled apart when someone called Ziggy's name. Even then, the parting was reluctant. They stared at each other for a while, Ziggy's feeling flushed and giddy. Dillon's breath caressed his face and the older boy seemed unwilling to move more than a few inches away from him. Ziggy himself couldn't do much because Dillon had somehow pressed him against the railing, an arm on each side of his body. An embrace he would normally have thought to be too trapping but now found to be a comforting, safe place._

_"I think," Dillon told him quietly. "They're calling you." _

_He nodded unsurely, not wanting to leave immediately. He wanted to stay wrapped up in Dillon's arms where he was safe and whole. But he knew he had to go. Neither of them could be found like this. They pulled apart slowly, hesitantly, and moved back into the ballroom. Neither would mention this night for a long time, not even to each other. But it would be one of their most precious memories._

Ziggy wanted to cry again, even if it wouldn't do much good. Because as long as he cried, he didn't have to think, didn't have to remember. And the last thing he wanted to do was remember. So he turned and buried his head in his pillow, even though it was now thoroughly soaked, and let himself fall into an uneasy sleep.

He'd lost everything.

--0--0--

It was a long time before Ziggy dragged himself from his room, maybe hours, maybe days, and even then, he only did it because of the alarm blaring through the building and the knowledge that he couldn't hide forever. So he cleaned his face of tear tracks, coughed to clear his throat, changed his shirt real quick, and ran down the stairs scrubbing one eye as if he was trying to force himself awake, hoping it would explain away the redness.

He fooled everyone but Gem and Gemma and that was okay because the twins never asked questions if he said it was personal. It had been a silent understanding between them from day one. He forced himself to choke back his tears and lock away his agony with a determined grin and slid into the car next to Dillon, even though it pained him to do so. After that, it was easy to fall back into routine.

--0--0--

Something had gone horribly, horribly wrong. Ziggy coughed as he fell down, hitting the ground hard and fighting to regain his breath. Pain blossomed across his shoulders and back, the early sign of future bruises. He pushed it back with the ease born of suffering from suffering broken bones and bruised ribs weekly. He had tried to morph. It had worked for moment too. Then something had gone wrong; he had de-morphed and been sent flying.

He looked at the rest of the team to find them in the same position as him. Scott reached shakily for his morpher. "Doc." he croaked, "What happened?"

Doctor K's voice echoed down the com link, quick and just slightly concerned. "They've accessed the bio-field and are rendering you unable to morph. I'll try to undo it but it will take time." As she said it, Ziggy turned his attention inwards and found the power of Series Green restrained and held back, much like his magic. It brought a wave of panic crashing through him but he pushed it down. K could fix it. He was sure of it.

Scott looked around at his team and they all had the same thing to say. They were going to fight. Ziggy pushed himself to his feet and followed his teammates into the squads of Grinders. The movements, the swiftness of battle, came easier now than before. He would never be a fighter in any true sense of- he had no feel for it; it was as much an art as anything- but he could play the part well enough. The one thing he was good at was acting.

He shifted slightly, a wave of disorientation hitting him head-on, causing him to stumble. It felt like it was coming through a filter though, as if it wasn't his really. As soon as he registered that, he looked up and around, searching for Dillon. The older man was no longer a constant presence in the back of his mind so he couldn't sense him as clearly as he once had, but he was lucky enough to pick up somethings. When they were really strong.

He found him easily. Dillon was laying on the ground, his left arm tucked to his chest protectively. Tenaya was standing in front of him, a gun in one hand and a blank look in her eyes. Horror swept through him as he stared at the woman who had once been like a sister to him. He didn't think before he pushed himself to his feet and ran towards the two. Later, he'd realize this was stupid and reckless. Later, he would pay for it with pain and tiredness. But that was later.

And now, the only thing that mattered was getting to Dillon before Tenaya killed him and what remained of her humanity.

--0--0--

A shout broke through the staring contest Dillon had been having with his sister. He had been trying to talk to her, trying to get through to her, to make her listen to him. It hadn't worked and she'd been only to happy to take advantage of the weak point. For one long moment, he actually feared she would kill him. But as she raised the gun, he turned his head towards the shout to see Ziggy running towards him as fast as possible.

He wanted to tell him to stop, to run away before he could get hurt. He wanted to say a lot of things in that single second but he realized Ziggy was too far away to make a difference. At least, that's how it seemed at first. Then, somehow, Ziggy _was_ right in front of him, slamming into his side and throwing them to the ground. Dillon didn't think it would do much good but then there was a bright flash of green light. Dillon recognized the rushing, dizzying sensation of Ziggy's teleportation powers; except that Ziggy hadn't been morphed.

Once the light faded, Dillon opened his eyes again. The sky above him was a much brighter blue than he remembered. The air was heavier too, not as chemically clean, and he could feel moisture start to soak into his clothes from the ground beneath him. The edges of his vision were no longer overtaken by buildings and the city walls but by towering trees and more green than he could ever remember seeing. He knew every place in Corinth by now. This wasn't one of them.

Ziggy shifted on top of him, seemed to try to push himself up, then collapsed back down. Dillon let him rest there, reassured of his well-being by the calm, rhythmic breathing. He simply stared up at the too-blue sky and tried to figure out where Ziggy had taken them. But for the moment, they were safe.

And they were alone.


	3. Chapter 2

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 2

When Ziggy came to, he wasn't where he'd thought he'd be. Once the fact that he wasn't in the Garage registered, he bolted upright into a sitting position quickly. Perhaps too quickly because his head immediately started to scream protests and a wave of nausea crashed down on him. He collapsed backwards onto the ground, feeling out of breath and bone deep tired. He shivered slightly, staring wide-eyed up at a sky foreign and almost fairy-tale bright. Every breath he took smelt of rain and forests. Every corner of his vision was dominated by towering trees.

He struggled for calm, closing his eyes and focusing on the simple breathing exercises he'd been taught as a child. Once he was sure he wasn't going to have a panic attack, he tried to figure out how he'd gotten here, where ever 'here' was. The last thing he remembered was fighting Grinders inside Corinth. No, wait, hadn't he been trying to save Dillon from Tenaya?

Just like that, all of his calm vanished and he pushed himself to his feet, ignoring how his body protested. He looked around hurriedly but saw only a sea of green and rows of trees in every direction. He saw no trace of his black-clad friend. So he started to shout. "Dillon? Dillon, are you here?"

"Ziggy!"

He turned at the shout, relief making him feel faint when he noticed Dillon walking towards him. He grinned widely and ran towards him, stumbling over small rocks and raised roots. He barely paused before he crashed into Dillon, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Dillon stumbled back slightly, arms hesitantly wrapping around him. "Thank the Gods." he breathed softly. "I was so worried." He pulled back just enough to playfully punch Dillon in the shoulder. "You shouldn't disappear like that."

Dillon offered him one of his rare but breath-taking smiles, the one that always made his heart skip a beat. "I'm sorry. I was trying to figure out where we are. You were pretty out of it so I thought I'd let you sleep."

Ziggy pulled back fully and mock-glared at him. "You had me scared half-to-death! I thought something had happened to you!" He softened his expression and smiled at his friend again. "Where are we?" He really hadn't been thinking when he'd teleported them away, only wanted them as far as possible. The Ranger Green power, which he'd manipulated a lot like his magic, had responded and took them as far as it could until it threatened his health. The only problem was he had no idea how far he could go. And him and the Doc had already confirmed that his teleportation abilities worked much better if he knew both his exit and enterance point.

Dillon just shook his head. "I don't know. Just the middle of a forest." Dillon gave him a look. "Could you get us home? I don't like not knowing where we are."

He thought about it. He really didn't want to teleport without knowing where he was but he guessed if he focused hard enough he could at least get them close. But as he thought about teleporting again, his body decided to bring to his attention the fact that he was in no condition to do anything of the sort. As his adrenaline wore off from his small panic attack, he realized a migraine was building in the back of his head and his stomach was flipping in the oddest of fashions.

He pushed farther away from his friend, a groan escaping from his lips as he managed a quarter turn before collapsing to his hands and knees. Due to the fact that he hadn't eaten anything due to his break-down earlier his stomach was thankfully empty so he produced nothing but dry heaves. But dry heaves still hurt and they burned the back of his throat and made his migraine worse. He didn't notice Dillon had dropped down next to him and helped brush back a few stray pieces of hair from his face or that he was rubbing calming circles into his back.

As the last of the heaves trailed off, he raised his head and looked at his friend. Dillon looked down at him with sympathy. "You okay?" he asked. Ziggy nodded shakily. "Yeah, but I don't think I'm even going to be able to handle morphing for a few hours, let alone teleporting."

Dillon nodded in understanding. "That's alright. We're safe for now. We can wait."

Ziggy looked up at him, his gaze thoughtful. "It'll be easier for me to teleport if I knew where we are, even if only generally." Dillon examined his friend of a minute before deciding that it wouldn't hurt too much if they kept looking around. Carefully, he assisted Ziggy to his feet, wincing sympathetically when the boy wavered and tilted dangerously, a grimace of pain decorating his features. But Ziggy straightened determinedly and walked onwards. So all he could do was follow him.

--0--0--

They were silent for a long time while they walked. Ziggy was glad for that because all of his attention was needed in order to not fall over his own two feet. What little grace he had had before had been thrown out the window due to his condition. If he had been on his own, he probably would have fallen on his face. But Dillon was there next to him and for that he was thankful. Whenever he stumbled too badly, when ever he was about to go crashing to the ground, Dillon was there to catch him and pull him back up.

He tried, multiple times, not to think about the older man's support, tried really, really hard not to look too far into it at something that might not be there at all. It was hard though, really hard. He had to focus as much on not noticing it as walking straight. It would help, he knew, if he could just hear what Dillon was thinking.

"Hey Zig." Dillon asked as he pulled himself up over a large, fallen tree. Ziggy hummed in acknowledgment, following him as fast as he dared. "We don't know much about you do we?"

He froze on top of the tree, both legs hanging down as he prepared to slide off. Oh no. Oh no no no no..... Not this. He wasn't ready for this yet. "What do you mean?" he asked carefully. Please, please don't ask about his past. _Oh god, please, don't make me lie again. I can't lie again_.

"Us, the Rangers. None of us know much about you from before Corinth do we?" he asked, looking up at him.

Damn it!

Okay, breathe. Don't panic. He repeated this to himself over and over again as he stared down at his friend, every muscle tense. What could he say? How much could he tell before Dillon caught on or recognized something? How far could he go before he slipped up and told the truth? How many words would it take to ruin everything? "Is it really that important?"

"I don't know much about you. But I want to." Dillon told him, eyes gentle and earnest. Ziggy cursed mentally. He had never been able to deny Dillon anything when he looked at him like that. "Next to Tenaya, you're the closest thing I have to family."

He didn't mean to say anything really. But before he could stop himself he found himself saying, "What do you want to know?" And just like that, he was ready to say everything.

Dillon paused, obviously trying to figure out what he wanted to know first. As he did so, he reached forward and pulled him down off the tree, setting him on his feet gently. Ziggy vehemently denied that his stomach immediately burst into butterflies. "Where did you grow up?"

Well, that at least he could answer without having to lie. He just had to be a little creative with the question. After all, Dillon hadn't specified what part of his life. "Japan." he answered, thinking about the bright red Tokyo Tower and the silent beauty of cherry blossom trees in full bloom. "Egypt, China." Hills and mountains of sand, great, ancient tombs rising towards the skies floated across his memory, followed by the complex, detailed palaces of the Chinese and formal uniforms he'd worn. He was lucky to have visited those places while they'd still been whole, before Venjix. He was... not necessarily world-wise but more world-traveled.

Dillon gave him a disbelieving look. Ziggy grinned widely. "You don't believe me." he admonished. "It's true though. I traveled a lot when I was younger. All over." He watched as Dillon closed his eyes and shook his head then continued walking. Ziggy found it easier to keep up with him this time. He let Dillon ask his questions, although it hurt him immensely to have to tell him things he should have already known- such as if he had had any siblings, which he didn't and had only led to an awkward explanation of how he had never quite gotten along with his family, or what his favorite past time had been. That had been perhaps the more humorous part of their conversation due to the fact that any free time he had had been spent learning magic.

"I would demonstrate." He told Dillon, who he was sure was starting to think he was insane. "But I lost my powers when Venjix attacked." He really was getting to good at these half-truths he was crafting. He hadn't lost his magic when Venjix attacked, just the ability to **use** it, and even that had been by his own free-will.

--0--0--

Dillon was starting to think Ziggy had lost it. Completely and utterly lost it. Maybe all the stress of being a Ranger had finally gotten to him. All the pressure, the near-death situations, even Doctor K's impersonality had probably attributed to the fact that Ziggy had finally cracked.

Because he seemed to believe with all his heart that magic was real.

Yet as he listened to his friend continue their current strand of conversation, he found himself, however impossible it seemed, believing his friend. Because the things Ziggy was saying were too complex, too detailed, to be anything but real. There was a fond smile on Ziggy's face as he described one small mishap when he was young and it was way too absurd for even Ziggy to have made up.

"You're not joking are you?" he asked in shock, watching as Ziggy turned an affectionate smile towards him. "Never was." he was told. He shook his head and let Ziggy continue talking, glad to see a bit of life returning to his eyes. He wasn't blind, although Ziggy seemed to think he was. Something had been bothering his friend, haunting the dark corners of his eyes. And he was sure the younger man had been crying before the battle. Ziggy's weariness from teleporting them had only made it more obvious.

But, even though the pain was fading from Ziggy's eyes, the memory of the half-dead look to his eyes refused to disappear.

Then he asked the question that couldn't be avoided if he really wanted to know more about his friend, although it didn't occur to him until it was already out that it was a bad question. "Were you involved with anyone?"

Ziggy froze and all the good cheer he'd gained over the course of their conversation drained out of him. Dillon watched as he bowed his head, his hair casting shadows across his face to hide his expression; his hands tightened almost painfully into fists. It occurred to Dillon too late that if Ziggy had been involved with someone he would have said something; unless that person hadn't made it to Corinth. "Ziggy..." he trailed off sadly, mentally beating himself up for bringing up bad memories. Could he be any less sensitive?

"That's... a little complicated." Ziggy told him. He watched as Ziggy took a deep, but shaky breath and looked up at him. His eyes were dark and shadowed but after a moment Ziggy closed them and smiled, weakly, poorly, wistfully. When he opened his eyes again, Dillon could almost see the memories chasing themselves across Ziggy's mind. The younger man wasn't focused on the present.

"You remember how I told you I had such a large family?" Ziggy asked distantly. Dillon did. He still wasn't sure if he like having such a thing, or end up killing himself. "Well, there was this family. They had been friends with my family for as long as anyone could remember. The Kanes."

The name rang a bell, somewhere deep in the back of his mind. Normally he would have chased it down, tried to find out why he knew it, but right now, he couldn't bring himself to focus on anything other than Ziggy and the slow, hesitant words slipping past his lips.

"The head of family had two kids, a son and a daughter. The son was supposed to take over the family but the daughter...." Ziggy trailed off and blinked slowly, looking up at him. Dillon felt relieved to see awareness return to him. Ziggy's smile turned fond. "You remember what Summer's parents did?" he asked.

It took him a minute to even understand what Ziggy was hinting at. But once he had he felt amused horror well up inside him. "They didn't." he denied, having to fight a sudden smile at Ziggy's expense. Ziggy nodded, looking like he was fighting a smile himself. "They did. They arranged a marriage. Me and her." Ziggy shook his head, looking amused, wistful, and pained all at once. "She was nice." he answered. "Sweet, smart, pretty, beautiful. But neither of us wanted it."

"And then my luck stepped in." His lips thinned and he nodded to himself, turning away from him slowly. "I was 17 when the arrangement changed. My engagement to her was canceled by mutual agreement of both families that it would not be in everyone's interest. The marriage itself wasn't canceled but, uh, this time, I was engaged to the person I truly did want"

Dillon felt a small spark of jealousy flare in him at his words. He barely managed not to let it show outwardly but somehow he felt that Ziggy's eyes, suddenly sharp, had caught it. Inwardly, he was shocked. What did he care if Ziggy had fallen for someone? Was it really any of his business? It wasn't, not really. But that didn't seem to matter because a bitter taste still lingered in his mouth. Suddenly, he didn't want to know any more about Ziggy.

But the younger man didn't notice, just continued with his tale. "You see, I have the worst luck in the world. I loved her. I really did." He paused and looked over at him, as if he really wanted to make sure the words hit home. "But I was _in_ love with her brother."

Despite himself and the fact that he didn't want to hear anymore, he found himself asking. "Is there a difference?"

Ziggy smiled mysteriously and walked a few paces ahead before looking back at him again. "Do you love Tenaya?" he asked.

"Of course I do. She's my sister." He answered. Did Ziggy think he was doing all of this for nothing?

Ziggy's smile grew. "But you wouldn't marry her." he finished, his eyes mischievous but somehow still dark. Dillon felt understanding dawn on him as he stared at Ziggy. He loved his sister but it wasn't a romantic sense of love. He loved his sister, but he wasn't _in_ love with her. Ziggy seemed to be waiting for that understanding to dawn because the minute it did, he turned and started walking again.

They didn't talk after that, Ziggy seeming content to leave him with his new found understanding. Dillon watched as the younger man gained more confidence in his steps as his strength returned more and more. Dillon was glad for that but found himself missing the opportunity to catch him. He wasn't sure that was a path he wanted to follow at the moment.

Yet his mind couldn't help but point out that Ziggy had looked slightly pleased with his earlier jealousy.

He wanted to ask about that but at the same time didn't want the younger man to retaliate by asking him why he'd been jealous in the first place. Honestly, he didn't know why. It wasn't as if he had some sort of claim over Ziggy. As far as he knew, Ziggy's feelings him were merely platonic.

'How did he know that?' he couldn't help but ask himself.

Because Ziggy had never shown any signs of having any feelings for him but friendship. But hadn't he been thinking earlier how good an actor Ziggy was, wasn't that thought what had prompted his entire talk with Ziggy? And, before the battle, when Ziggy had caught him and Summer, hadn't he, for the briefest of moments, looked like he was going to cry? He had tried to banish the idea to the back of his mind all day, sure he was imagining things, but know he couldn't help but think about it.

His mind couldn't help but point out now that if he thought about it, that before Ziggy had locked them out with his normal infallible smile, there had been the smallest of hitches in his breath, the slightest of trembles in his body? And just before he'd left them alone again, hadn't his smile wavered just minutely, and it seemed like he was going to fall apart? Hadn't it looked like he had been crying just before the battle?

Why was he even _thinking_ about this?

Did it matter if Ziggy had feelings for him? A part of him said that it did, another violently denied any such thing. He had a good thing going with Summer didn't he? The latter part of him argued. Did it matter if Ziggy cared about him more than he should when he had that? The former part of him responded in kind, with a question that stopped him in his tracks.

Didn't it matter if he was breaking Ziggy's heart?

"Ziggy..." He called after his friend, watching as Ziggy paused and looked back at him in concern. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, just that he need to talk to Ziggy about this, to find out if he was imagining things or not.

Then he saw it.

Just over Ziggy's shoulder, half-hidden from sight by the immense foliage, was a Grinder. He had no idea what one was doing in the middle of this forest but it didn't matter. What mattered right now was that attached to it's arm was a gun, and that gun was currently aimed at Ziggy. Any thoughts he'd had about Ziggy's feelings flew out the window. "Ziggy, **get down**!!"

Ziggy didn't pause to question him, just dropped immediately to the ground. And it was a good thing he didn't wait, because if he had paused for even a second he would have gotten hit. He heard Ziggy let out a startled shout as the attack zoomed over his head but he didn't have the time to deal with it because he quickly realized that they had somehow become completely surrounded by Grinders without either realizing it. There were too many Grinders to be a simple patrol. He hadn't been in Corinth long enough to forget the hard lessons taught to him in the Wastelands. This many Grinders, this quickly, meant there was a Venjix base near by.

He cursed himself mentally for becoming so distracted as he dodged around the attacks of the Grinders, knocking even more back. But there were too many for him to even get a chance to reach for his morpher and there was no surety that it would work yet. Just as he started to feel desperate, he noticed that the numbers of Grinders he was tearing apart were no longer being replaced as quickly. The Grinder numbers were, slowly but surely, thinning and disappearing. He watched as the last of the Grinders turned and retreated, feeling too weary to chase after. He sighed in relief and turned around to check on Ziggy only too realize something was very wrong.

Ziggy was gone.


	4. Chapter 3

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 3

Ziggy stumbled along with the Grinders, wincing whenever his arm was twisted too much. Normally he would fight back. Now, he didn't have any energy with which to do so. His head was ringing and it was taking everything he had to focus on not tripping as he walked. He hated this. But he couldn't do anything about it. What little energy he'd managed to regain while walking with Dillon had been destroyed when trying to battle the Grinders.

His one good piece of luck was that he knew Dillon was following them, slowly but surely closing the distance between them. For some reason, the bond that had once existed between them was flaring to life erratically, despite the fact that it had been dead since Dillon had lost his memories. Now, for brief periods of time, he could feel the older man in the back of his head, his emotions flowing through slowly but surely, like it had in the past. It wasn't nearly as strong as it had been before, not nearly as clear, but it was there, for the first time in nearly a year and a half it was there. Every so often he'd pick up brief flashes from the older man; flashes of desperation, determination, and crushing, overwhelming guilt at his capture.

He felt bad about Dillon's guilt, knowing he didn't deserve it. And what was worse, was that he didn't have the strength to block his own emotions from pouring back along the link and reaching Dillon, further weighing him down. And because Dillon didn't remember, he didn't have the ability to distinguish his emotions from Ziggy's.

And he knew how dangerous it could be when they couldn't distinguish their emotions from the other's.

The first time it had happened, they hadn't even been aware there was a bond. He had only been sixteen and had just returned from a second trip to Egypt. Even then, despite the immense amount of training he'd had, his magic had still been hard to control. And any semblance of control he'd had, had been was tenuous at best.

At that point in time, he'd only seen Dillon a handful of times. Back then, he hadn't understood how the bond colored all of their interactions, made it hard for him to stay away from him. He hadn't understood bits of the hesitance and uncertainty he'd been feeling had belonged to Dillon.

When it had first happened, it had been Dillon who was channeling and Ziggy who was effected. The then unstable bond had flared up and thrown Dillon's emotions in his face, before he could figure out the emotions weren't his. Dillon had been training at the time and the adrenaline, the danger of the fight, had run off into him. His magic had registered the fight Dillon had been in as a direct danger to **him** and reacted. It had lashed out wildly, without a target, and destroyed the room he'd been staying in at the Kanes- his parents insisted on it in order for him to get closer to Tenaya- and he'd been too scared, too caught up in the emotions Dillon was unconsciously sending, to make it stop. He still shivered when he thought about the damage he had inflicted.

If the bond had not been a two-way channel, if he hadn't cried out mentally for help, Dillon never would have noticed. And if Dillon hadn't noticed, he doubted anyone would have had the strength, or the courage, to get close enough to calm him down. Even then, it would take two more accidents like that for them to realize they were connected, and even then, nearly a full year to learn to block each other out when they wanted.

If the bond was reacting again for whatever reason and Dillon didn't figure out how to block him out again, he didn't want to think of what could happen. Or what emotions could leak through.

The Grinder holding him jerked his arm again, the pain breaking him from his thoughts roughly. He winced yet again, biting his lip to keep from making any sound of discomfort. He was not going to give these bastards the satisfaction of hearing him cry out, even if they weren't programed to care about what he felt. But the repetitive tugging, combined with the ringing in his head, was really starting to hurt. _Dillon, help me._ He pleaded silently.

--0--0--

Dillon hurried after Ziggy, his mind racing and his heart clenched tightly in his chest. God, could he be any more selfish? How could he have become so consumed with his thoughts that he forgot the rest of the world? Why hadn't he been paying more attention? He'd known Ziggy hadn't been at his best. He'd known Ziggy would need him to protect him. He'd known that. Yet he'd allowed the Grinders to slip past his notice until it was to late. He'd allowed them to take Ziggy.

He couldn't let anything happen to his friend, not when he was relying on him so much. He couldn't disappoint someone else who had trusted him. Even now, he come almost imagine what Ziggy was thinking, so clearly it felt like Ziggy's emotions were there, hovering in the back of his mind. Fear, exhaustion, just the slightest bit of pain. He _had_ to save the younger man. Now.

_;Dillon, help me.;_

He froze immediately, his eyes widening. That was Ziggy's voice. He looked around quickly but Ziggy was no where in sight. Yet he had definitely heard him. He was sure of that. The call had been far-off and had sounded like it was coming in through a filter but it had definitely been there. So Ziggy was close, closer than he'd thought he was. That was good. He started moving again, heading towards the place he knew Ziggy was with eerie accuracy.

He was glad for the interruption. It pulled him from his thoughts long enough for him to realize he had no idea what he was going to do once he found his friend. Ziggy was surrounded by who knew how many Grinders and none were likely to just let him take him away from them. He had to have a plan.

Despite his thoughts, once he found Ziggy and the group of Grinders, any and all plans he'd made flew out the window. He took one look at his friend, at the pained expression on his face and the growing exhaustion in his eyes, at the uncomfortable twist to his arm, and thought _To hell with it_ and threw himself at the group.

The first Grinder's skull exploded beneath the pressure of his fist, falling to the ground where it was quickly followed by the Grinder next to it. He looked up and took a quick count of the Grinders. There were not nearly as many as he feared and he had no doubt that if Ziggy hadn't been as worn as he was, the younger man would have been able to fight his way free already. There were only about fifteen of them, twenty at best. And they were a much earlier generation than the ones that attacked Corinth, which meant they were slower, weaker, and no where near as sturdy. This was the generation where he could tear them limb from limb if he wanted to. And he wanted to.

There were only about five left when one obtained a blaster. Ziggy noticed it before he did and somehow managed to summon enough energy to stand up from where he'd fallen and run over. "Dillon, watch out!"

He turned, just in time to see the blaster aimed at him. He moved to get out of the way, knowing it wouldn't be far enough fast enough but hoping all the same. Then Ziggy had just that bit more extra energy to lock his arms around the arm of the blaster and turn it enough so that he was far enough fast enough. The blast flew over his shoulder, missing him by scant centimeters, but missing him all the same.

The Grinder turned and smashed its free arm against Ziggy's jaw, throwing him off of it. Ziggy hit the ground hard and Dillon could almost see the air was forced from his lungs by the impact. Ziggy gave a small moan of pain and didn't move again.

Rage, bright and hot, burned it's way through Dillon's system as he stared at his friend crumpled on the ground, making him see red. He advanced on the Grinder that had struck Ziggy with a speed he didn't know he possessed and took a perverse joy in tearing it to shreds. Then he turned and dished out the same end to the rest. He stood there for a long moment, taking in the Grinder wreckage around him, wreckage he had created, and feeling very satisfied. Then Ziggy gave another groan and his attention immediately turned to the younger man.

He was at his side in seconds, carefully helping Ziggy into a sitting position. He reached forward and gently gripped Ziggy's chin, tilting his head to the side so he could better examine him for any possible wounds the Grinder might have caused. Ziggy had a split lip and in a few hours would probably have a very nasty bruise decorating his jaw but there was nothing major or life-threatening. Once he was sure of that, relief flooded through him and he pulled the younger man into a tight hug, burying his face in his messy curls. Ziggy was only too happy to return the tight embrace.

Ziggy smelt like sandalwood and fresh rain. His hair was surprisingly soft against his cheek and his breath caused goosebumps to break out where it hit the skin of his neck. He was warm, deceivingly small, and just a little lighter than he should be. All of this told him one thing.

Ziggy was alive.

Maybe it was the adrenaline. Maybe it was the relief. And maybe, if this had all happened yesterday, before thoughts of Ziggy's feelings towards him had surfaced, he never would have done it. What ever the reason was, Dillon didn't think before he pulled back and caught Ziggy's lips with his own.

Ziggy's mind shut down in shock as he struggled to process what was happening. Thankfully, his body did not. He had wanted this for too long, he needed this too much, to freeze now. His arms moved from Dillon's back to wrap tightly around his neck and he shifted so he was practically straddling the older man. He felt the bond start to stabilize between them, forming again. It still wasn't anywhere near as strong as it had been before it was broken but it was getting there.

This kiss was hardly as innocent as their first had been. It was desperate and rushed and almost bruising. It hurt just slightly due to the cut on his lip. And he wouldn't trade it for the world.

_;God, I missed this.;_

Dillon jerked back suddenly, staring at him with confused, slightly dazed eyes. Horror spread through him. Oh god, he hadn't sent that thought, had he? He really hoped he hadn't, really hoped Dillon hadn't heard that. If he had... he really didn't want to think about it. Quickly, before he could send something else, he slammed a mental barrier up between them, even though it caused the warmth, the sense of belonging, to disappear. The bond was still too fragile to remain stable when he blocked Dillon out.

A strange look passed over Dillon's face, as if he knew that Ziggy had just done something but couldn't figure out what. He pulled back farther, slowly and reluctantly. Ziggy had to wonder how much of the hesitance was Dillon's and how much was the building blocks of the bond. After a long moment, full clarity returned to Dillon's eyes as the truth of the situation occurred to him. Ziggy bit his lip, seeing in his eyes a small war between what remained of what he had _known_ and what he _thought_ he knew.

He had known about the bond, about him, about them. He now knew only what little he remembered and what he'd experienced since he'd lost his memories. He knew nothing of magic, of bonds, of them. He knew not what to do now.

Then Dillon stopped up quickly. "We've got to go. Before more Grinders show up."

Ziggy almost felt left out, almost thought that he had just ruined everything, when Dillon reached down, grabbed one of his hands and pulled him to his feet before taking off in the opposite direction of where the Grinders were taking him.

Never once did he let go of his hand.

Ziggy had to struggle to keep up with Dillon. Dillon had always been faster than him and the mechanics that had been added to him had only widened the gulf between them. And although his energy was returning, he was losing it faster than he could gain it. Dillon didn't seem to notice, caught up in getting them as far away as possible. Ziggy knew him well enough to know what he was thinking about, in the part of his mind not taking up with not falling behind.

Dillon was an honorable man. For nearly half a year, he had been building a relationship with Summer. Now Ziggy had thrown himself into the equation and Dillon hadn't given any objections. The older man no longer knew what to think. He didn't want to betray Summer but he didn't want to hurt Ziggy. He was honestly interested in Summer but his old feelings tugged him towards Ziggy. He was lost.

And then there was the bond. Ziggy wasn't nearly as stupid as he sometimes acted. He knew the signs. The bond between them was rebuilding itself. Although the bond was based on a deeper, more spiritual connection than most people would ever have, there was a highly physical component needed to stabilize the bond. It was why it had almost physically hurt to stay away from Dillon when he was younger. It was why Dillon had kissed him now and why he had been hesitant to pull away after he'd done so.

It was why he didn't know if he could trust the kiss to have been true affection or just the bond resettling.

Finally, he couldn't keep moving. "Di-Dillon, stop. Please." He pleaded breathlessly. He tugged at his hand hurriedly in an effort to get his attention. Dillon slowed, turning to look at him. Ziggy jerked free, immediately falling to his knees and breathing deeply. Only then was he aware of how fast they'd been moving. They'd practically been flying. He felt shaky and the world was starting to blur. He felt like he was going to throw up.

Dillon kneeled down next to him, his eyes worried and apologetic. "Ziggy, can you go just a little farther? There's a river or something near by."

He didn't answer immediately, struggling to pull in more air. Then he slowly lifted his head to stare at Dillon and nodded. "Yeah." he whispered, "I- I think so." He slowly pushed himself to his feet, trying not to fall down. The world swarm around him once he was on his feet and then blacked out. He was out for only a moment before he blinked back into awareness, breathing heavily. Slowly he became aware that he was being held against something very warm. He tilted his head just slightly, enough to see Dillon looking down at him guiltily. The older man's arms were wrapped firmly around his waist.

"Gods, Zig. Why didn't you say you were this exhausted earlier? I would have stopped." Dillon said. He merely smiled weakly, struggling back into a standing position. Again, he wavered, but this time he didn't faint. Dillon watched him cautiously, making sure he was alright on his own. Ziggy took a slow step forward, checking his balance. It didn't hold.

Dillon's arms immediately wrapped around his waist again, supporting him. After a long moment, Dillon pulled back but kept one arm wrapped around his stomach in support. "Come on. Rest on me." he encouraged. Ziggy was only to glad to do just that.

--0--0--

Dillon wondered what he'd gotten himself into. He hadn't meant to kiss Ziggy. He wasn't even sure how he felt about him. He just wanted him safe. That was all. Now, now look what he'd gone and done. He'd probably ruined everything between them. And that didn't even get started on how Summer was going to fit in with all of this.

But Ziggy... kissing Ziggy had been something he'd never forget. He hadn't known it was supposed to feel like that. So much like he _belonged_. He had felt whole, and warm, and loved. An unconditional kind of love, a forgiving one, one that would never, could never, hate him. It had felt as if he'd finally found something he hadn't even been aware he was missing. He didn't know what to think about that.

Well, at least now he was sure about Ziggy's feelings for him. Now he just had to figure out his own.

He found the river he'd heard before. Except it wasn't a river; it was a waterfall. That was better than a river because it meant at least one side of them was blocked by the sheer cliff face. And all their other sides were covered by even denser foliage than what had become normal. They would be safe here from the Grinders. He didn't bother to look at the view after that.

Ziggy slipped past his grip, walked a few steps to lean against the trunk of one tree, and was asleep in seconds of sitting down. Dillon watched him for a few long moments, trying to figure out what to do, then moved to lay down next to him. He pillowed his head in his arms, gazing up at the unfamiliar sky. They still didn't know where they were and Ziggy had only gotten worse, although that was through no fault of his own. The team was probably assuming the worst by now.

He sighed and turned his head to look at Ziggy. The younger man was still a mystery to him. How long had Ziggy been crushing on him? And if Ziggy had been engaged to someone before, had loved someone else, where did that leave him? And what did he feel about Ziggy anyway? Better yet, where did all of this leave Summer?

Ziggy was... special, different from the others. He was important, devastatingly important. He was his first, his best, friend and Dillon didn't know where he'd be without Ziggy. Ziggy was a bright soul in his dark world. Ziggy gave him something to come back to when he went searching for his memories. Ziggy knew when to stand by him and he knew when to leave him alone. He'd be lost without Ziggy.

Summer, on the other hand, was sweet and down to earth. She knew when to be serious and when she could afford to be silly. She had a wicked intelligence and a quick mind with a sharp tongue. She was very pretty and she took care of him. She always wanted to help him and somehow she always knew what to do. She gave him something protect but not to the extent that he needed to worry about her if he wasn't there. Summer was always trying to fix him.

Ziggy just accepted him, little broken pieces and all.

He frowned in thought, trying to figure out where that put him. He had no answers. Summer kept him sane and it felt like she knew him better than he knew himself. But Ziggy felt like another piece of himself, some part he had lost a long time ago and was just now finding. With Ziggy, he felt whole.

He... still didn't have any answers. He sighed and shook his head, closing his eyes and letting himself drift off into a light sleep. He hoped that answers would come with the sun. Because right now, he only knew one thing.

He wanted to kiss Ziggy again.

--0--0--

When he came to, it was dark. And Ziggy was already awake, staring down at him from between strands of his dark brown, dripping wet hair. The half-moon was casting strange shadows across his face. Dillon blinked up at him in confusion for a long moment, trying to figure out what was going on, then noticed one of the shadows on Ziggy's face wasn't a shadow. It was the bruise from the Grinder attack. It was worse than he'd thought it would be, a very dark blue and black that bloomed out across his jaw line and up to his cheek bone. "Does that hurt?" he asked, motioning with one hand to the bruise.

Ziggy blinked, obviously coming back to himself from some sort of thought, and touched cautious fingers to the wound. "No, not really." he whispered softly. Dillon stared up at him for a long moment, then beckoned with his hand for the younger man to sit down so he could look at it. Ziggy obeyed.

He reached forward, carefully brushing stray strands of Ziggy's hair- which were wet, somehow- away so he could look at it. It certainly looked painful. He rubbed his thumb over the bruise briefly. Once he did, a strange expression crossed Ziggy's face and his eyes slid closed. For a moment, Dillon thought that maybe the bruise was as painful as it looked and he had accidentally hurt his friend. Then Ziggy tilted his head into the touch, his expression turning peaceful. He blinked at the action and looked back at the bruise. Maybe it was him, maybe it was the light, but the bruise looked just a few shades lighter. He frowned and gently caressed the skin around the bruise again. With each pass of his thumb, the bruise seemed to disappear just a little more.

His eyes widened in shock when the bruise completely disappeared. "Does it still hurt?"

"No, not really. Why?"

"Because its gone." He told him, his voice calmer than he'd thought it was. He tried to figure out what was going on and could only think of one thing. Ziggy's supposedly lost magic. He let his hand drop and looked Ziggy in the eye as the boy brought up a hand to gently brush it over the place the bruise had been. Ziggy didn't look all that surprised.

"Give me your hand Dillon." Ziggy said, holding out his hand. Dillon almost hesitated then recognized the thoughtful, calm light in the younger man's eyes. It hadn't been a request. He took a deep breath and dropped his hand into Ziggy's. Ziggy held his gaze and didn't do anything for a long moment. Then, it felt like a... wall almost, one that separated them, fell away. And he could _feel_ Ziggy. In the very back of his mind, a flickering presence, unstable and barely there, but he could feel him. Ziggy felt... uncertain, wary, and some part hopeful, wishing desperately for... something.

Light flared up around their intertwined hands, spinning and glowing, flaring up and dimming erratically, casting a soft silver glow across Ziggy's face and the ground of the small clearing they were in.

His breath caught in his throat as warmth washed over him and that thing it had felt like he was missing came back. He glanced at Ziggy over the top of their glowing interlocked hands. Ziggy's eyes were dark and unreadable in the strange light emanating from their hands. "...You must have dormant magic." Ziggy said finally.

"Ziggy, what's going on?"

Ziggy stared at him for long moment and Dillon registered sadness or maybe... relief from him. "This," Ziggy whispered, giving their hands a small shake. The light wavered with the movement. "Is _Reiniku Heri_."

He gave his friend a shocked look, his eyebrows shouting up to his hair line. "Is _what_?" He finally demanded.

Ziggy closed his eyes, breaking their gaze for the first time. The light dimmed considerably and Dillon feared for one quick, irrational moment that it would go out. Then Ziggy breathed out slowly and opened his eyes to look at him again.

"_Reiniku Heri_ translates as Soul Bond."


	5. Chapter 4

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 4

Dillon paced around the small clearing anxiously, barely aware of his surroundings as Ziggy watched him carefully from where he sat cross-legged against a tree. He was confused, annoyed, and, although he would never admit to it, just slightly scared; yet Ziggy's surprising calm eyes seemed to catch everything. Dillon ignored the younger man, running the terms around and around in his head, trying to make sense of them. _Reiniku Heri_. Soul Bond. Finally, angrily, he turned towards Ziggy. "_What_?" He asked one more time, feeling like he'd said it a hundred times.

"Soul Bond." Ziggy told him again. Dillon thought Ziggy was being entirely too calm about all of this. In fact, Ziggy had barely shown any emotion on his face besides hesitation and ethereal calm and if not for the bond shakily feeding him information on Ziggy's emotional state he would say Ziggy really was as calm as he appeared. But the bond couldn't be trusted because it flickered wildly and disappeared erratically when they weren't in physical contact.

He tried to calm himself down, tried to take deep breathes and think rationally. After a moment, he was calm enough to start talking again. "Let's pretend for a moment," he whispered, knowing if he spoke any louder he'd scream. "That I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ziggy gnawed at his lower lip again, something that was quickly becoming a bad habit for him. "I don't know much about it actually. No one does. It's the rarest bond there is. Those that have it don't say much about it and it's such a personal bond that no one asks about it." He frowned then spoke slowly, as if he was thinking over every word carefully. "What I do know is that it's a... connection on the deepest level. Those that have it end up sharing emotions, thoughts and after a while, even magic."

"Is there any way to get rid of it?" He asked, the words leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Ziggy flinched like he'd been physically slapped, agony flooding down the link and making him feel even worse about asking. Ziggy's eyes, dark with pain, fell down to his lap and he merely shook his head, not saying anything.

Dillon turned around to watch the waterfall and the pool it cascaded into, the moonlight giving it a soft glow. The silver light reminded him harshly of the bond light, making him clench his hands into fists. Soul Bond, Soul Bond, Soul Bond. What did that even mean? He knew what it was now, kind of. But he didn't understand what it meant. "So we're Soul Bonded or something?"

"The term for people with Soul Bonds is life-bonded."

"Does that mean we have to be involved?" he asked, snapped really, because he couldn't keep himself from becoming angry with the situation. He didn't mind the idea of being with Ziggy- he had been seriously considering the idea of it before- but the idea that he had no choice but to be in a relationship with him was maddening. If he got together with someone, he wanted it be of his own free will, not because some mystic bond said he had to.

With his back turned, he never saw the tortured expression that slid briefly over Ziggy's face before the younger man locked it away. In his anger, he never felt the distress flowing down the link. Ziggy took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and when he spoke, his voice was steady if nothing else. "There has never been a record of life-bonded not romantically involved. However, that doesn't mean it's not possible."

Dillon thought about the words carefully, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Slowly, he managed to unclench his hands and turn to look at Ziggy. Ziggy stared back at him with unreadable eyes, his expression set, and the moonlight playing across his pale skin. He gulped and turned in the direction they'd entered from. "I need to be alone." he said, hoping that the distance would lessen the bond enough so that he could think without feeling what Ziggy was. Without the bond affecting what he was thinking.

Even as he walked away, he heard Ziggy scramble to his feet and run after him. Ziggy started to say something, laying his hand on Dillon's shoulder, but the minute he did, Dillon spun around and snapped, "I need to be alone!" Ziggy retreated a step, his eyes going wide. Fear flashed down the link.

Dillon stared at the younger man in surprise, both at Ziggy's retreat and his own violent reaction. Shame laced through him at his lack of self-control and he stepped forward, reaching out a hand to comfort the younger man. Ziggy stepped back again.

Ziggy seemed to slam a wall down between them, weakening the bond to near nonexistence and making it so Dillon couldn't sense him at all. The older man choked at the strange sensation, like he couldn't catch his breath. It felt like he couldn't reach the Ziggy anymore. It felt like something was crushing his chest.

"It's alright." Ziggy whispered, taking another large step back and clasping his hands behind him; his eyes were downcast. The tension was so thick between them that Dillon thought he could choke on it. "I understand. It feels like you're losing control of the situation. I get it. Go if you need to."

Dillon watched the younger man turn away from him and walk towards the waterfall, his arms wrapped around himself in comfort. Ziggy didn't say anything else and didn't even acknowledge his presence after that. He sighed and walked away, hoping that he'd come back with at least one decision.

Ziggy waited until he was sure Dillon had left to collapse. He crumpled to the ground, spent emotionally and out of the will to even try to appear fine and in control anymore. He curled up into a ball, trying to make himself as small as possible in an effort to disappear. Dillon words continued to replay in his head, cutting into his heart and slowly shredding the strength he'd manage to gather.

"_Is there any way to get rid of it?"_

_"Does that mean we have to be involved?"_

The questions hurt, physically hurt no matter how much he understood where the older man was coming from. He understood that Dillon just needed to think but that didn't stop him from hating how he pulled away. He understood that Dillon was just confused, just felt like he didn't have any choice in the matter anymore and that scared him, but that didn't stop him from feeling like Dillon was angry with him. He knew that Dillon just needed to figure out what was going on in his own head, his own heart, but that didn't stop him from feeling like Dillon didn't want him anymore.

He didn't even have the energy to cry anymore, to emotionally spent even though he finally had his physical strength back. How ironic that when he finally had the strength to stand on his own, he no longer had the will to do so.

Really, he just wanted to go back to the way they were before all of this, before Corinth and before Venjix. He wanted things to go back to when it was just him and Dillon and Tenaya. When nothing else mattered but the three of them. He reached a trembling hand up to grasp at the shape of the key hidden beneath his shirt, wishing with all his might to return to the day he had gotten it. The day when one couldn't tear Dillon from his side.

But he knew, better than most, that turning back the clock was the one thing even wishing couldn't do.

--0--0--

Dillon didn't come back till the sun had risen. When he did, he realized that Ziggy wasn't speaking to him. And that wall between them, snapping the link in half and making it feel like he was drowning and he couldn't breath, was still there. And he couldn't even blame Ziggy for putting it there despite how horrible it was making him feel. But still, he wished it would slip for just one moment, just long enough for him to realize what was going on in Ziggy's head. Just long enough for him to figure out what to do.

But that seemed to be the one luxury Ziggy wasn't going to give him. No, the younger man refused to do anything to help his situation or to help him figure out what to do. And no matter how much he thought, he still couldn't figure out what to chose. Although staying away from Ziggy and ignoring the bond almost physically hurt, he could do nothing else if he wanted to deal with the situation with Summer first. And if he didn't deal with that first, he'd just keep finding other things to do so that he didn't have to. And if he didn't give the problem serious thought, he'd always consider those 'what ifs'. And he couldn't do that to either of them.

But no matter how many times he ran these things around in his head, he couldn't help but resent the continuing silence. Right now, he wanted nothing more than for Ziggy to go back to the way he used to be, always smiling, always laughing, always finding something to talk about. The silence between them was oppressive and choking. Finally, he could take it no more. He stood and turned to look at the younger man. "God damn it Ziggy! Say something!" he snapped.

Ziggy stopped what ever he was doing but didn't turn around to look at him, leaving him to stare at the younger man's back. "What do you want me to say?" he asked quietly.

"Anything!" He shouted back. _Anything_, he prayed, _just please, please tell I haven't ruined everything._

Ziggy didn't say anything for a long time, just stood there gazing off into the distance. Finally, softly, but with a frigid intensity, "How can I say something when you can't even make up your own damn mind?" he asked. Dillon blinked in shock. Ziggy cursed; Ziggy never cursed. He must be really upset. But then, Dillon couldn't blame him. As hard as this was on him, it had to be harder on Ziggy who was left waiting in the dark with no clear end in sight.

He growled and resisted the urge to tug at his hair in frustration. "How can I make up my mind when I don't even know what's going on anymore?!" He was shouting again. He didn't want to shout, didn't want to push his frustration, his confusion onto to Ziggy and take it out on him. But Ziggy was not doing anything to make himself any less of a target and Dillon couldn't help it if he tried. He needed to snap or he'd completely loose it.

But a small part of him couldn't help but point out that it wasn't right for him to snap at Ziggy.

Ziggy's head tilted to the side as if he wanted to look at him but didn't dare do so. "What more do you need to know? It's me or Summer, Dillon. Nothing else matters."

"More does matter!" He snapped back. The wall between them lifted just enough for Ziggy's disbelief to echo through. Dillon paused, trying to find words for what till then he'd only felt; the whole reason he couldn't figure what to think about the situation. "The one thing I don't know... is you, Zig. I thought I did know, after that kiss. But now, with this bond, I just don't know anymore. How much of that was adrenaline? How much was the bond?" He hesitated and looked over at Ziggy. The younger man was still facing away from him but from the small tilt of his head he was still listening. "How much was you?"

He felt Ziggy hesitation through the little crack in the wall. He wondered, briefly, if Ziggy let it remain on purpose or if he didn't even know it was there. "Please, Zig." He whispered. "I need to know. I can't force you into this no more than you can me. I don't want the bond to make this choice for us."

Those words seemed to make Ziggy's mind up for him. Every wall seemed to disappear in seconds and a near complete rapport formed between them. All of Ziggy's emotions slammed into him like a tidal wave, the sheer power of it sending him to his knees. He gasped, momentarily drowning in it all. There was crushing pain, overwhelming agony, blinding guilt. He struggled to find the source of those emotions but before he could he was hit with something else.

Love. Pure, unconditional, revokable love. The kind that was selfless and gentle and didn't ask for anything in return. The kind of love he would never have imagined possible if he hadn't been feeling it for himself. And all of it was directed towards him.

He jerked himself from the torrent of emotions, sending a few gasping moments trying to figure out what was his and what was Ziggy's. It felt like the two of them had been meshed beyond the point where they could be separated and the thought was as frightening as it was welcome. When he'd centered himself, figured out relatively what was his and what wasn't, he realized he had dropped to his hands and knees. And he was crying, just slightly. Just enough to blur his vision, just enough to choke his voice. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked Ziggy, who still refused to look at him. He stood slowly, asking, "Why didn't you say you loved me?"

"Should I have?" he asked, and there was an odd note of defeat in his voice. A rush of hopelessness raced down the still open link. "You had Summer. Why should you have worried about me?"

"Because I care about you Ziggy. All you had to do was say something. I would have listened. I wouldn't have just written it off. Why didn't you just say something? Why didn't you just say you were in love with me?"

Ziggy turned to him finally, his eyes glassy with tears. "Because you were happy!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "You were happy, Dillon. Who was I to take that away?" The boy's gaze dropped and his hands clenched into fists. "I just... I just wanted you to be happy. And if that happiness was with Summer and not me, then so be it." he finished, his voice a soft whisper.

Dillon stared at his best friend, shocked by how selfless he was. Ziggy was willing to stand to the side and let them flirt or kiss or do anything, as long as Dillon was happy. It was beyond selfless and it made him feel horrible for every bad thought he'd ever had about Ziggy. Watching him and Summer must have torn the younger man to shreds. "Ziggy..."

Ziggy didn't seem to hear him. "As long as you were happy I thought... maybe I could be happy to."

Slowly, carefully, he approached the younger man until he was right in front of him. Ziggy looked up at him with eyes dark with pain that made him want to hold the younger man and take away all his hurts. "Still," Dillon whispered. "That happiness seems a little lonely to me."

Ziggy's eyes dropped again and an almost unnoticeable shudder passed across him. After a long moment, in which Dillon feared he hadn't reached the younger man, that Ziggy was going to close up again, Ziggy collapsed into him. Dillon had to immediately wrap Ziggy in his arms or risk letting him fall because he was no longer sure the younger man could support himself. Ziggy trembled in his embrace, making soft keening sounds in the back of his throat as he clung to him. Ziggy didn't cry, even though it seemed like he would and Dillon knew he needed to. But no matter how much he coaxed, the tears would not come.

Eventually, the weakness Ziggy had suffered from returned, even though he had been remarkably better today than before, and it slowly drew him into a needed but still light sleep that Ziggy threatened to wake from at any minute. Carefully, Dillon set the younger man on the ground and walked over to the waterfall, watching as it splashed against the rocks behind it and into the pool.

He thought he had nearly everything figured out now, finally. Ziggy loved him beyond comprehension, beyond what should be possible. They shared a bond, something real and physical that he could see with his own eyes and feel with his heart. Now, the only thing he had to figure out was if he wanted Summer or Ziggy. And to do that, he really needed to know what he thought of Ziggy, what he felt for him.

What he wouldn't give to have Ziggy's crystalline emotions, where everything was so clear and simple. What he wouldn't do to have Ziggy's belief in his own feelings for just a few minutes.

Ziggy was a friend. He knew that, had known that for a very long time. But the question was, was he more? If he went by the kiss they shared yesterday, definitely. But that was a kiss and, no matter how good it was, it didn't matter if it wasn't any more than that. And no matter how much Ziggy loved him, he couldn't indulge him just because he had what could be a momentary attraction. No, he couldn't do that **because** Ziggy loved him so much. Love like that deserved something better than a briefly satisfaction.

Before any of this, had he even looked at Ziggy in that kind of light? He hadn't, not really. If he was honest, the thought of being involved with Ziggy had never crossed his mind before they had been sent flying off to where ever they were now. And why had it now? Because Ziggy had mentioned loving someone and he had gotten jealous, like Ziggy was already his and no one else could have have him. But Ziggy wasn't his.

_Not yet._ A part of him whispered. He ignored it.

He had been the one to protect Ziggy since day one, sometimes even against their teammates. It could just be protectiveness. But it wasn't. He knew jealousy and he knew protectiveness. He was protective of Tenaya because she was his sister even if she was currently an emotionally void android. He was protective of his team because they took care of each other. What he had felt then hadn't been protectiveness. It was defiantly jealousy. But why was he jealous of some guy he'd never met?

Because maybe, just maybe, he did love Ziggy. And maybe it was sudden and maybe it didn't make sense but half the things he did these days didn't make sense. But could one really fall in love in a day and a half?

But maybe it wasn't sudden. Maybe it had just been growing silently in the back of his mind and he hadn't acknowledged it, pushed it away and written it off as something else. He _was_ protective of Ziggy and, he'd admit, sometimes he could be downright possessive of him. It was Ziggy he went to when he was troubled and it was Ziggy he left reassure him, Ziggy he let remind him of why he was fighting. It was Ziggy that got him to smile half the time.

And Summer?

Summer, he didn't know honestly. He had thought he cared about her. Now, he just didn't know. He liked her but it didn't feel anything like what he felt for Ziggy. But it didn't seem like anything else either. The closet he came was to what he felt for Tenaya, and that still was no where near close. Tenaya.... Ziggy's words from yesterday came back to him, rooting him in place.

_"Do you love Tenaya?"_

_"But you wouldn't marry her."_

He loved Tenaya and he loved Summer. But he was in love with Ziggy.

Just like that, he made his choice. On some level, it felt like he'd made it a long time ago and just hadn't realized it yet. The decision was easier then he thought it would be in the long run. And now that it was made he felt... freer almost. Lighter, in a way. He ran the decision around in his mind briefly and was startled by the sheer _rightness_ of it.

He blinked himself back into awareness, looking up at the sky and was shocked by how much time had past. The sun was already half way across the sky. When he'd started to think, it had been barely past early morning. He turned around to look at Ziggy and found him still asleep, curled up right where he'd placed him down. He stared at the younger man and couldn't help a small grin from lighting up his features. He'd made his choice.

--0--0--

Ziggy slowly woke up when something really warm settled down next to him. Slowly, he opened his eyes and glanced up to see Dillon staring back down at him with gentle eyes, his head supported by his hand as he lay stretched out next to him, in direct opposite to how he himself was curled up into a small ball. He uncurled slowly, never breaking his gaze from Dillon's and realized that Dillon was smiling, a soft, fond smile, at him.

"Dillon?" he asked carefully. Dillon's smile widened and the older man reached forward and gently brushed a few stray strands of his hair out of his face. Before Ziggy could ask what was going on, and he really wanted to ask what was going on, Dillon leaned down and gently caught his lips with his own. Ziggy blinked in shock, surprised by the unexpected contacted. This was not what he'd expected when he'd woken up.

He registered a thought sliding slowly down the link, half-formed and ill-guided, but it was from Dillon and Dillon definitely wanted him to hear it. He let down what little barriers he'd put back in place before he'd fallen asleep, straining his mental ear to make out the sent thought.

_;I've made up my mind.;_ Was the ghosting thought. _;I'm sorry I made you wait so long._;

Tears rushed to his eyes at the tender thought but he pushed them aside, not wanting to ruin this moment with tears. He closed his eyes and gave into the kiss completely. This was what a kiss should be. Not desperate, not rushed. Soft, tender, just slightly timid, a gesture of intimate affection that was meant to convey only one message. That one was cared for immensely. This time, he was willing to listen.

Dillon's content with the situation washed across his mind, much clearer than his thoughts, and slid across his senses like velvet, soft and warm. Dillon's lips against his felt like rose petals, beautiful and timid. His hands in his hair was like... chocolate, slow and easy with the promise of something more. He couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across his lips even if he wanted to.

_;I like those comparisons.;_ Dillon told him, much clearer than he had before. Either his body was remembering how to work with a mental link or he was learning very fast. _;It's romantic.;_

Ziggy found a laugh building in his throat and pulled away just enough to let it loose. Dillon smiled and untangled one of his hands from his hair to draw it down the line of his spine in his neck. Ziggy shivered as the feeling exploded across his senses, prompting Dillon to ask him. "And that? What's that feel like?"

"Sunlight." He whispered before he thought about it. "Warm. Bright. Reassuring. But it can burn if your not careful."

A slow smile was etching its way across Dillon's face and Ziggy would give anything to see it stay there, to freeze this moment in time and never leave it. Dillon's breath fanned out across his face and he told him without prompting this time. "Feathers. Light, and airy."

Dillon leaned in and kissed him again and Ziggy into it readily. They stayed like that for a long time, trading slow, unrushed kisses and small descriptions of what each touch felt like. Dillon's hand on his hip felt like lightening, shocking and unexpected but amazing in it's intensity. His hand on Dillon's cheek felt like wind, insubstantial but still comforting and somehow intimate.

Warmth settled like a blanket over his mind. After a while, they stopped the kisses and simply laid next to each other. Ziggy's head rested on Dillon's chest and he listened in content to the heart pounding in his chest. It was a comforting sound. Before he was aware of what was happening, he was asleep. Dillon followed seconds later.

--0--0--

Dillon woke up to find himself in a tangle of limbs with Ziggy, the bond so thick between them that for a moment Dillon couldn't which of the arms and legs were his. He laid there for a moment, taking in the simplicity of the embrace and knowing this was where he wanted to be. Then, slowly, he started to untangle himself from Ziggy. As he did so, he caught a flash of thought from Ziggy, probably having to do with whatever he was dreaming. Something about a necklace....

He blinked and looked down to see a long golden chain wrapped carefully around Ziggy's neck. He tugged it up from beneath his shirt, staring briefly at the two rings there. Then his gaze caught and held on the last item. His breath froze. A key. One that looked startlingly familiar. Carefully, so as not to awaken the younger man, he pulled the necklace over his head and moved away from him, one hand reaching shaking for his watch.

He knew it wouldn't work. If it would, Ziggy would have said something. Ziggy wouldn't have kept this from him. He wouldn't have lied to him. He sat down heavily on the ground a few feet from Ziggy. Hesitantly, he placed the key inside the watch. It fit. But, when he tried, it didn't turn. He sighed softly, shaking his head and smiling at his own foolishness. Of course it wouldn't work. He was being an idiot and jumping at shadows.

He went to pull it out and accidentally turned it the other way. It gave. He froze again, his brain shutting down as his body gaze the normal three quick turns and pulled the watch open. A slow, beautiful ballad started to play softly.

Maybe Ziggy didn't know. He couldn't know. If he had, he would have told him. He couldn't have known....

Ziggy gave a soft moan and slowly blinked his eyes open. Dillon watched numbly as the younger man shifted and propped himself up, looking around the small clearing for him with a warm smile. Ziggy spotted him and his smile grew. Then his eyes dropped down to the watch in his hands and Dillon watched as horror took over his once peaceful expression and one hand flew to his neck to find... nothing. Ziggy's necklace dangled from Dillon's hand. Ziggy's eyes shot back up to stare at him and in that one look Dillon knew that Ziggy had known about the key. Had known and hadn't told him.

Dillon felt his entire world fall apart in that one look.

And Ziggy realized he was wrong. He didn't need to say anything. All it took was a single look to ruin everything he'd gained.


	6. Chapter 5

Someone reviewed recetly that my story seems remarkably similar to another Power Rangers story called 'Before We Met'. They are similar, yes. And 'Before We Met' is a beautiful story which I started reading while I wrote this. However, this story is not based on that one. The Bond in this story- the most common aspect between the two stories- is based off of aspects from Mercedes Lackey's life-bond in her Valdemar Series and the Sci-fi show Tin Man. I had posted this information on my Livejournal posts, but I forgot to put it in this one and for that I apologize.

If anything seems similar, plagarized, or copied, I apologize. I did not mean for that to happen.

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 5

"Dillon, wait!"

Ziggy stumbled after Dillon, barely keeping up with the taller man's longer strides as he tore through the forest. Dillon's anger, a near-consuming rage coupled with the hopeless sense of betrayal, was washing down the link in unending waves, to the point where he could barely think straight through the crushing weight. And if he could barely think, he doubted Dillon was doing anything of the sort. No, Dillon was more than likely running on emotion alone, not even thinking beyond the fact that Ziggy had lied to him.

And he had lied. He had said he knew nothing about Dillon's past when in truth he had played a very intimate role in his life. Dillon's past meant everything to the man and he had lied about it. It was the worst thing he could have done; the biggest betrayal of Dillon's trust he could have made. He had known that and done it all the same. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't say anything.

He winced beneath the weight of Dillon's emotions and pulled a shaky wall between them. The bond was stronger than it had been in a year, feeding off the connection they'd established hours ago. In his highly emotional state it was becoming increasingly harder to hold the barrier in place and Dillon's emotions still leaked through, upsetting him even further. "Dillon, please." He called, hurrying after the older man. "Let me explain. You don't understand."

Dillon stopped his quick pace and turned around to walk towards him. Before Ziggy could do anything, even feel relieved, a surge of violence pierced through the unstable wall and Dillon punched him in the jaw. He flew back, colliding with the ground harshly and gasping in pain. Okay, he should have expected that. He brought a careful hand up and touched his jaw. It was sore but the bond would prevent any bruising; it wouldn't allow them to hurt each other with anything other than words. But Dillon had a sharp tongue.

"I trusted you!" Dillon shouted at him, his voice choked with emotions. The older man's emotions beat down on him; tearing through his mental wall and making him feel even worse. "I trusted you and you lied to me! I can't believe I... how could you? Did you like watching me suffer? Did you have fun watching me and Tenaya tear each other apart? Did I entertain you?!"

Every word struck home, further worsening the guilt he felt. Dillon had been in pain and he had done nothing to help. He had stood there and let the most precious people in the world to him nearly kill each other daily. He could have stopped it but he didn't. All it would have taken was a few words. _You're wrong._ He thought weakly, barely breathing beneath the weight of their combined emotions. _It hurt me to. I wanted to help but I couldn't. I'm sorry._

Dillon looked about ready to hit him again and he tensed in waiting. But he didn't. Dillon held himself in check and merely held out his hand. Ziggy's precious necklace lay curled in his palm and there were ridges in his skin from where ring and key alike had dug in. The dull gold sheen of his key glinted in the waning sunlight. "Can you even explain this?" Dillon demanded. The older man growled low in his throat when he didn't reply immediately and threw the necklace away, letting it dance across the ground to rest in front of Ziggy.

Ziggy watched as Dillon turned away in disgust. Slowly, he lowered his gaze to the ground and stared at the key. His most precious possession. Tears stung his eyes as he laid there, memories unfolding in the back of mind.

_He had been staying with the Kanes for nearly four months now and it was getting increasingly harder to ignore Dillon. He tried, very hard, but he was rarely successful. He was sure people were starting to notice the flirt-and-run game they were playing, completely subconsciously. And when people noticed, people wondered. He really didn't want his father to hear any rumors._

_And what was even more maddening was the fact that although Dillon was nearly possessive of him, he never did anything! He only did just enough- in terms of touching and true, personal conversations- to be considered polite. And never enough to actually be called friendly. It was driving him crazy._

_"Ziggy!"_

_He turned at the shout, watching as Dillon approached him slowly. He forced a wan smile and greeted the older boy politely, even though it was taking a lot of restraint not to kiss him. Dillon returned his smile then started to look nervous. Curiosity sparked. "How can I help you Dillon?"_

_Dillon nodded to himself, one hand buried in his pocket and an uncomfortable look on his face. "I... wanted to give you something." He whispered. He stepped closer, right into his personal space but Ziggy didn't mind at all. He was starting to feel a little breathless. What small part of his mind wasn't focused on the very little room between them was cursing his crush on the older boy; like he didn't have enough problems. He made an inquiring noise in the back of his throat, not trusting himself to string together a coherent sentence with Dillon this close to him._

_"I wanted to give you this." Dillon whispered, pulling his hand out of his pocket. A small chain was coiled in his hand and dangling from it was a small golden key- long and thin, with a wide hoop at the handle and three prongs. He blinked in surprise and tentatively reached out for it. The metal was slightly cool but Ziggy didn't care, caught up in the fact that Dillon was giving him a present. He gulped, looking back at up Dillon. "What's this?"_

_Dillon looked very uncomfortable now. "It's a family heirloom." he said. He pulled his pocket watch out, showing it to him. "It works with this. There are three keys. Tenaya and I have two. And I... want you to have this one." Ziggy opened his mouth to protest but Dillon pressed a finger to his lips to stop him. He shivered at the contact, his eyes going wide. "I want you to have this Ziggy." _

_He glanced back down at the key. He couldn't accept this. This was Dillon's. This belonged to a Kane. Not to him. He wanted to accept it but he couldn't. Yet Dillon's eyes bore into his, earnest and pleading. He smiled slightly and ducked his head, carefully slipping the necklace over his head. When he looked back up, Dillon was smiling widely, relief clear in his gaze. Before Ziggy could do anything else Dillon leaned forward and caught him in a kiss, their second ever._

_It was much, much more than he remembered. Maybe it was because of his hormones but fire- this time having nothing to do with his magic- spread quickly across his skin, creating goose bumps. One of Dillon's hands was buried in his hair and smoothed the strands between his fingers occasionally; the other rubbed up and down his back, tracing the line of his spine. Both made him shiver. Dillon's tongue tricked its way into his mouth and spent several leisurely moments exploring. The kiss wasn't mind blowing but it left him breathless and weak in the knees._

_When Dillon pulled back, he had to bit back a whimper of protest._

_Only then did it occur to him that they were in a very public place and they could easily be seen together. He blushed heavily and started to pull away. Dillon tightened his grip around his back and pulled him back until he was pressed flush against his chest. "What are you afraid of?" he asked._

_Ziggy blinked and lifted his head to stare into Dillon's dark brown eyes. Warmth washed across his skin and his mind blanked of thought when Dillon's breath washed across his face. "I'm not sure." he replied. "But I doubt it's that important."_

Ziggy reached out a trembling hand and slowly picked up the key. It had been his gift. It meant he was a Kane, even if he had Grover blood. It meant he was Dillon's and as long as he had worn it, no one had been able to doubt that. He looked at Dillon's retreating back and felt something inside him snap. "Do you think me that horrible a person?" he asked, his voice a cold whisper.

It forced Dillon to stop and look back at him as he pushed himself to his feet. He met Dillon's gaze harshly, feeling anger poor through his blood and pound in his ears. He had hurt not being able to tell him! He had suffered a year and a half alone! Without Tenaya, or the Kanes. Without him. And he was not going to let Dillon just throw him to the side after everything he'd been through!

"Do you really think I liked not being able to say anything? Do you think I even had choice? Do you honestly think that if I did, I wouldn't tell you?!" He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat, drawing closer with every step. "If you think that you don't know me at all!"

He stopped in front of the older man and glared up at him, shocking him with the vehemence in his gaze. "Do you think it was easy not saying anything? Do you have any idea what it was like? I was all alone, Dillon! Everything I had was gone! My family, my home. Tenaya and your parents! You! You left me alone, Dillon! For one long, miserable year I was all alone. That's why I joined the Cartels; it was easy! I didn't have to get close to anyone! And then you had to come barging back in, just when I was starting to accept everything!

"All this time, I've had to stand to the side and watch you walk around without a clue of who I was! I watched you get closer to Summer and I couldn't say anything! Do you know what that's like? Do you know what it's like to have to remind you of things you should have known from birth? What it's like to be a complete stranger to the person you grew up with?

"Tenaya tries to kill me daily! And then I go home to watch you and Summer dance around each other and be constantly reminded that I'd lost my chance! I..." He trailed off, a bit of his anger washing away as the first tears welled up. "You were my best friend, Dillon. My life-bonded. I told you everything; you had all my secrets. I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember and you have no idea who I am. Do you... have any idea what it's like... to watch your fiancé fall in love with someone else?"

His anger melted completely away and he stepped back, grief once again consuming him. He wrapped his arms around himself and slumped to his knees, tears slipping down his cheeks. Dillon didn't move, just stared down at him in shock. He felt like he was drowning and no one was going to save him this time. He gathered the strength to say one last thing. "...When I saw you out in the Wastelands, I forgot. For one precious moment I forgot you wouldn't remember me. And when I saw it was you, I was so happy. I had you back." A harsh, cynical laugh tore past his throat. "And then, you looked at me...and you had no idea who I was. You looked _right_ through me, like I wasn't even there.... You are my most precious person, all I have, and you...." He trailed off into sobs he couldn't stop.

For so long, he'd wanted to say these things; make Dillon understand. And now he could, when he no longer had anything more to loss. His family was gone. His home was destroyed. Tenaya was completely different. And Dillon, who not so long ago had been his whole life, probably hated him. He just... wanted to die.

--0--0--

Dillon stared down at the younger man in shock. Ziggy had never yelled at him before, never. Ziggy rarely raised his voice to anyone. He winced as the younger man's emotions crashed down on him like a tidal wave; an extensive amount of pain, loss, loneliness, and guilt. He gulped, closing his eyes and trying to block it out. He couldn't though. The emotions pounded away at him, eroding away the betrayal he'd been feeling until it was practically gone. Ziggy was right; he wouldn't have done this if he had a choice. It wasn't him and he should have known that.

But the anger didn't disappear; the trust didn't come back. It would take a very long time before it did. Too much had happened, there had been too many lies, for him to just let go of the anger. He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes, fighting against the emotions in him -both his and Ziggy's- in order to think straight.

Only when he succeeded did that nagging thought in the back of his mind take hold. Everything just fell into place. Ever since he had pushed past the shock of finding the key, something had been trying to form itself in the back of his head but he hadn't let it. He had wanted to hold onto his anger. But now he could focus on it.

"I was your fiancé?" he asked, his eyes wide. All this time, he'd been jealous of himself? Everything Ziggy had been telling him had been about himself?

Ziggy gave another hysterical laugh, his cheeks shining from tears. "Why do you think I had the key? Who do you think gave it to me?" He whispered, looking up at him.

Dillon stared back at him. Ziggy's eyes were dead. Gone were the life, the happiness and cheer- however fake it may be- that was always there. Ziggy had given up on living on even fake joy. He was just... giving up.

Carefully, he dropped down to his knees in front of him. Ziggy's blank eyes followed his every movement but there wasn't any spark of actual 'sight' in them. "Things just aren't going to be magically better again Ziggy." he whispered, not being able to lie to him. "This isn't just going away. Maybe you didn't want to, but you did lie to me. I can't just forgive you. I can't just trust you again. I can't."

He felt a black cloud wrap around Ziggy and slowly drag him away. Not physically but he could feel the link between them fading as Ziggy retreated into himself. He didn't think before he reached out and grabbed him in a tight embrace, pulling him close. He placed one hand on the back of Ziggy's head and combed through the curls. "But someday," he whispered. "Not today. Not tomorrow. But someday, maybe, I can trust you again. I don't… what I felt yesterday wasn't an illusion. I don't want to loose that. But you can't lie to me ever again."

Ziggy didn't reply immediately. Then, a bare, raw whisper escaped him. "You were my whole world, Dillon. I can't loose you. I'll fall apart if I do." He looked up at him and while his eyes were still dark, there was awareness in them. "I won't lie. Not anymore. Not about anything." He promised.

Dillon stared down at him, shocked into silence once again, this time by the dependency Ziggy had on him. Ziggy was relying on him completely. He drew back slowly and stood. He felt Ziggy's eyes on him as he walked over to the necklace he had thrown carelessly to the ground. Once he had it in hand, he walked back to Ziggy. "Can I hold onto this?" he asked, fingering the key.

Ziggy looked far from happy about it, but he agreed, watching him slip the key next to the other two with a distressed expression. A single tear slid down his cheek but he didn't say anything about it. Things were still too raw between them for Dillon to even think about comforting him.

--0--0--

They got lucky that next day. Ziggy was physically much stronger and the blank look in his eyes disappeared but he was no longer constantly smiling. Dillon was finding it easier than he thought it would be to talk to him, to be round him. But there was a noticeable distance between them now. When they walked, there was at least a five foot margin between them and Dillon didn't touch Ziggy, not even in the smallest, most innocent of touches. And while it was hard, things were starting to look up. They had found a sign half-buried under vines and roots. And with a sign, maybe they could figure out where they were.

But that was where there luck ended.

"That's not even in English." He said. Ziggy gave him a strange look, dropping the last of the vines he'd pulled off and walking over to him. "What?"

He shrugged and motioned on hand to the square, tanned sign he was standing before. Printed uniformly across it was what looked to him to be nothing more than scribbles and random dots. Ziggy stepped up next to him and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That's Arabic." He replied in shock.

"You can read that?" he asked. Ziggy nodded. "What's it say?"

Ziggy glanced over at him and then back at the sign. "Basically, Theban Hills, that way." He read, pointing off to his left. Dillon frowned in confusion. What was Theban Hills? He glanced over at Ziggy in time to see the light of realization dawn in his eyes. "Ziggy? What's wrong?" he asked when Ziggy pled dramatically.

"Oh boy." He whispered. He gulped and slid down into a sitting position, looking shocked. "Oh boy." He repeated. Dillon knelt next to him. "Do you know where we are?" he asked. If Ziggy did, they could go home. That's what Ziggy had been telling him.

Ziggy nodded slowly, eyes still wide. "Theban Hills is the Valley of the Kings. Valley of the Kings is Egypt, Dillon. I took us to Egypt. Oh, that's far."

"Can you get us home?"

Ziggy nodded slowly again, still looking a bit pale. Dillon frowned at him. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked in concern. Ziggy nodded once again but he retained his pallor. Finally he gulped and pulled his legs up into a meditative pose. Dillon sat down fully next to him, watching him in concern. Ziggy ignored him, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. With the bond, Dillon could feel the power of Series Green build up inside Ziggy, forming around them and then seeking out tendrils for their destination. It felt like they went a way long ways away. He could feel Ziggy's own energy slowly disappear.

"Hold on." Ziggy whispered, holding out one hand. Dillon grabbed it. Brief white light surrounded their hands before the bright, pure energy of Ranger Green surrounded them and he was overwhelmed by the rushing, dizzying sensation of teleporting.

Never once did it occur to either of them to have Ziggy morph.

--0--0--

The rest of the day passed in a flash. Ziggy was unconscious for half of it anyway, exhausted beyond belief from the over use of his powers once again. Doctor K had been very cross to him about doing that again the few times he had been awake. Dillon found himself having to give a summary of their time in Egypt, although he emitted everything personal about the trip; his new relationship with Ziggy, The Soul Bond, and the revelation of Ziggy's lies that he himself was still recovering from. It didn't feel right to tell them about it just yet.

He looked up at Doctor K as he finished, "I have a question. Where exactly is Egypt?"

--0--0--

Ziggy stared silently up at his ceiling, his mind running in circles even though his body was demanding sleep. Much as he had been doing since the argument he'd had with Dillon yesterday, he beat himself up for what he had nearly done after he had stopped yelling, before he had promised to never yell again. He had known better. He had been warned, repeatedly, when he was young about the single danger the bond possessed. And he had forgotten about it in the one single moment when Dillon said he couldn't forgive him.

He knew better than to have just given up like that. He knew how dangerous it was and it didn't matter that his world had slipped out beneath him. He should have been more careful. He would have to be.

He sighed heavily and reached up to his neck slowly. The chill metal of the key was gone now, leaving a hollow spot where it normally hung. He closed his eyes, knowing that if he let it, the empty place would consume him completely. That was something he couldn't allow.

After all, he knew those with a Soul Bond could will themselves to death if they lost themselves in the wrong emotions.


	7. Chapter 6

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 6

Something was going on.

She wasn't sure what but something definitely was. Ever since Dillon and Ziggy had come back from Egypt a few weeks ago, they had been acting weird. Something had happened to them while they were gone but they hadn't said anything about it. The two had always been close but now things were so tense it felt like they were going to choke. At best, the two of them ignored each other, standing at opposite sides of the room and choosing not to speak to each other. At worst, they became hostile, argumentative, and spiteful, with all that anger channeled only at each other. And boy did they argue. Not a day went by that they didn't throw insults at each other, shout things that she was sure they didn't mean. It became so bad some times that Scott and Gem had had to jump in and pull them back before it came to blows; Flynn was convinced that it **did **come to blows behind closed doors when no one was there to stop them.

Summer didn't think so. No, she saw what happened the few times the anger went away. When that happened, the two men were extremely tender with each other and there was more sadness and regret in their eyes than anger. It felt like they were trying to make up for all the harsh words they'd been throwing at each other lately. She had seen the looks on their faces then; soft, tender, but bathed in longing and an aching sadness. Dillon looked so very confused during those moments and she was getting the feeling that Ziggy was only following Dillon's lead, getting caught up in the older man's anger and responding back before he could stop himself.

But those moments told her one thing. Both men hated what they were doing to each other but didn't know how to stop. And they were scared to death that one day they were going to say something they couldn't take back, something that was going to tear them apart forever.

And it wasn't just the arguments that had changed between them after their trip. There had been one very tender moment between them that she was sure she, nor anyone else, was supposed to see. It had been after a battle with a Venjix attack-bot and Ziggy had been limping when they'd come back. Both him and Dillon had disappeared. When she had found them, Dillon had been taking care of Ziggy; they had talked about something she hadn't quite understood and doubted she was supposed to. But towards the end, it had seemed, for a long few seconds, that Dillon was going to kiss the younger Ranger. He hadn't in the end, but the intention was still there.

And that was why the situation was so weird. Despite all the anger, all the arguments, the two were still so close. Closer than they had been. It made her very confused. Before they had disappeared, she hadn't gotten even a hint of romantic feelings for each other from them. She hadn't even known they swung that way; especially not Dillon. No, it was her Dillon had been interested in. Not Ziggy. Yet the way they were acting was unmistakable. Their feelings for each other had changed; Dillon's feelings for her had changed. He didn't care about her anymore, not that way.

That was why she was here, at midnight, in the kitchen, sighing repeatedly every four or five minutes, and feeling completely sorry for herself. She didn't understand what was going on between Dillon and Ziggy. All she knew was that Dillon had stopped returning her advances and now seemed completely focused on Ziggy. Even if it was with anger. She sighed again and leaned down, burying her head in her arms.

"I know that sigh."

She jerked up, looking around and watching as Ziggy stepped seamlessly out of the shadows as if they were a part of him. He was staring at her with sympathetic eyes that were completely devoid of their normal smile. Ziggy stared at her for a long moment then moved to sit next to her. She watched him carefully. "Feeling sorry for yourself is not going to fix anything." he told her.

She straightened angerly. "What do you know?" she demanded. He turned to look at her with cool eyes. "Quite a lot, actually. I am the one Dillon prefers to verbally shred daily." he replied calmly. Her anger immediately melted away in the face of his words and she slumped back in her chair. She muttered a soft apology, causing him to shrug.

"Its alright. It's my own fault really." He told her. She looked at him, considering, then asked, "What is going on between you two?"

Ziggy looked back at her, examining her, then finally sighed. "I... did something I shouldn't have. I knew it was wrong and I did it anyway. Now, I'm paying for it." he told her. He gazed silently at the wall across from him. "What did you do?" she asked.

Ziggy smiled grimly and shook his head, not answering her. She frowned at him, trying to understand what was going on in his head. Finally, she dropped her eyes down to her hands and asked, timidly, which was unusual for her. "Ziggy, are you and Dillon... are you two... involved... romantically... with each other?"

"I think... kind of. Dillon's so confused right now; things are so rough. There are times when... yeah we are. We really are. But, there are other times when its just so hard." He trailed off and she looked over at him. His arms were wrapped around him and his lips were pressed together. "Summer, I know you like him. But the truth is I am completely and utterly... in love with him." She watched in shock as a slow, single tear trailed down his cheek.

"Love him?" she asked in disbelief. She had suspected a crush but full-out love? She had never thought that Ziggy was actually _in love_ with Dillon. That was something completely different, a whole other spectrum of emotions. She almost asked if he was sure but the look on his face answered her before she could. He was sure. "Does Dillon know?" she asked.

"Yeah." Ziggy answered. She bit her lip and although she really didn't want to, she asked, "Does he feel the same?"

Ziggy's arms tightened around him and he jammed his eyes closed. "I know he likes me. Love, though... I'm not sure. I think... he's a bit to confused for love right now."

She looked back at her hands and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Ziggy. This is all so much for me. I didn't even know you were... um... gay." she muttered. Ziggy turned his head away from her, wincing a little and looking like he was regretting telling her. He took a shaky breath, bowing his head. "It tore me apart watching you some days. That's why I know. Feeling sorry for yourself will only make things worse. Trust me, I know." he told her calmly.

"What should I do than?"

"Move on." he told her, standing up and moving towards the stairs. She frowned at him. "Is that what you did?"

He paused and looked back at her. For the first time that night he smiled just slightly. "No I didn't. But you're smarter than me Summer." he replied. "There will come a day when you will understand what I'm trying to tell you. Until then, good night, Summer." He left her there with those words, turning to jog up the stairs. He left her with a lot of replies but next to no answers. She sighed again and lowered her head into her hands.

Ziggy loved Dillon. Dillon might love him. Where did that leave her?

--0--0--

Scott had tried to let the two work it out on their own. He had tried to leave them alone about it and not but into their business. He had really tried. They were his friends, he had worried about them, about how they were tearing each other apart, but he had respected them enough to let them fix it for themselves. The others had tried to make him force them to talk because he was team leader but he couldn't have done that. Not only would he have lost their trust and respect, he could have made their situation with each other worse.

It had hurt watching them but he had believed he was making the right choice.

Yet the minute it had affected them when fighting Venjix, he had known he'd let it go on for far too long. They had had a horrible argument before the alarms had gone off, one of the worse he'd ever seen. When they'd fought, they had been so angry they'd completely ignored each other's existence during the fight. While it hadn't caused too many problems this time, he didn't want to know what could happen if they did it again. While he understood that ignoring each other was the only way they could keep themselves from attacking each other again, he couldn't let them keep arguing if things were that bad.

Although, in hindsight, perhaps he should have waited until the rest of the team had left the room before confronting them about it. Or perhaps, seeing how Dillon was glaring at him, it was better to have witnesses.

"You have no right!" Dillon snapped at him. "This is between me and Ziggy. You need to stay out of it."

He stepped forward. "And I stayed out of it. But you let whatever the hell is going between you two affect how you fought out there and I can't let that happen. So you are not leaving this room until you tell us what is going on and fix it."

Dillon stepped forward as well, his glare darkening. Before anyone could say anything Ziggy stepped between them, throwing his arms up to separate them. His expression was furious. "That's enough!" he shouted. Dillon glared at him for a long moment before looking down at Ziggy. He stepped back, obviously deciding that he wasn't angry enough to hurt Ziggy just to hit him. It was more consideration for the younger man's well being than he'd expected at this point.

Ziggy glared at both of them in equal measure before turning to snap at Dillon. "Its bad enough we're at each others throats everyday. The last thing we need is you two going at it as well!" he shouted. Dillon opened his mouth to argue but Ziggy silenced him with a single look before turning to glare at him as well. "And you! He's right. This is our business and you need to stay out of it!"

"Do you two even see how you've been acting lately?" he demanded. Ziggy gave him a look that said the youngest Ranger thought he was an idiot. "You can't fix this Scott." Ziggy told him. "Don't even try." He wanted very badly to say something to that but he noticed the way Ziggy looked. Tired, worn, still angry, but sad and ready for it all to be over.

"No matter what you think Series Green," Doctor K said and he wanted to shout at her to stop because he suddenly had a very bad feeling about all of this. "This cannot go on. What has happened between you and Series Black?"

Ziggy spun to look at her, a dark look on his face. "You want to now what's going on?" he demanded. "Fine! Here's whats going on! I am being attacked on all sides here! If not from you two than from Dillon! And if not from Dillon than from Venjix! And I can't take it anymore! I am about to snap here! So go on! Push me." He turned his head to glare at Scott. "Find out what happens."

The entire room was silent, staring at Ziggy in shock. Even Dillon looked shaken by the outburst. Ziggy didn't move, staying perfectly still and taking deep breaths. Scott stared at the younger man in worry. He had known things were bad but he hadn't thought things were this bad. Whatever was going on was pushing Ziggy to the breaking point.

"Give us the room." Dillon ordered. He looked at the other Ranger in surprise. He couldn't be serious. Everyone here knew Dillon was the one starting every argument between them. Dillon was the one pushing Ziggy to the edge. Dillon looked over at them and repeated the order. But he wasn't glaring. He looked completely guilty. He knew he had pushed Ziggy this far as well and hated it. Dillon looked at him and his eyes said what he didn't. He was asking for a chance to make it right.

He nodded to him and motioned for the team to leave the room. Although they were hesitant and obviously didn't like it, they followed him out. As they left, Flynn leaned over to ask him. "What just happened?" He looked back at the two and shrugged. "I guess Ziggy grew a backbone." he replied.

--0--0--

Once the other Rangers had left the room, Ziggy collapsed to the ground, sitting down roughly and burying his hands in his hair, taking deep breaths. Dillon watched him sadly, horrified by the damage he had done. He had known he was hurting the younger man but he hadn't thought it was this bad. It s just that he was so confused about what to think and feel in light of all of Ziggy's secrets. And that confusion normally turned to frustration which he always ended up taking out on Ziggy. He didn't mean to but he was angry, and confused, and hurt, and he had no idea how else to deal with it.

It had been easy to deal with in Egypt. There it was easy to think of everything as just one big dream. There the world was still healthy, from what he understood completely wrong, but still green and healthy. But when they'd come back everything had seemed different. In Corinth there was no denying that this was reality, that this wasn't a dream. That made everything hurt so much more. And some of the things that had seemed so simple there had become complicated back home; decisions he'd already made took new twists.

And it all left him very, very confused.

"I never meant to attack you." he whispered. Ziggy looked up at him and smiled weakly. "I know." he whispered. Dillon winced at the understanding in his tone, knowing he didn't deserve it. He probed with the bond, something he normally tried to avoid because that just got him even more confused, and found Ziggy's emotions chaotic and out of control. He walked towards him and sat down next to him. "I never meant to hurt you Zig." He told him. "I don't like seeing you in pain. It's just that I get so confused and I...no, there's no excuse. I'm sorry."

Ziggy turned to look at him with dark eyes. "I get it. I really do. And its not all your fault. You get confused and frustrated and then you pick a fight. And every time I'm stupid enough to give you one. And that's why its so hard for you. You need a target and I give you one, every single time." Ziggy smiled grimly. "Its my fault too. Because of the bond I get swept up in your anger and I lash back just as hard. You think very loudly Dillon, makes it hard to ignore you. It makes me unsteady, makes the hits harder to brush off."

"Stop." he ordered, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please, stop making excuses for me."

"Alright." Ziggy agreed. He stood up and moved to stand in front of him. "Then make up your own god damn mind. That would make things so much easier for me."

He looked up at the younger man in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Ziggy stared down at him and Dillon noticed tears starting to gather in the corners of his eyes. "If you could just decide how you feel about me and stick to that, I'd be able to deal better."

Dillon felt even more confused than he normally did. "How I feel about you?" he asked.

"Yes! How you feel about me. Because Dillon, I can't figure out what to expect from you anymore and you're so confused I can't even used the bond to read you. There are days when you treat me so well Dillon. And I feel like we have a chance those days. But then the next day you're so angry it feels like you would gladly watch me die!"

"That's not true!" He shouted immediately, standing up. "That's not." He repeated when Ziggy met his gaze. "Don't ever believe that. I get angry but I would never wish that." He reached out and pulled Ziggy to him. "I care about you Zig. I know I don't act like it all the time and there are days when I could treat you so much better but I do care about you. Don't ever doubt that."

Ziggy clung to him for a long moment then slowly pulled away. "How can you care about me if you don't trust me?" he asked. Dillon dropped his eyes and whispered, "That's why I'm so confused. Everything I thought I knew about you is a lie but if anything ever happened to you..." He groaned and rubbed at his eyes. "Look at us. We're pathetic." He looked at Ziggy hopefully. "Can we go back to Egypt now?"

Ziggy laughed, just slightly, and shook his head. "We'd have nothing to eat." he replied softly, the slow edges of a smile on his face. Dillon sighed in mock-disappointment and moved to sit against one of the walls of the lab. He didn't know why but he fished out his watch and Ziggy's key, letting the soft ballad play. It was a simple but beautiful melody, normally in the high notes, but was slow and almost kind of sad. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ziggy flinch when the first notes started to play. After a few moments, he started to sing.

He stopped abruptly and sighed miserably. "I hate that song." he whispered. Dillon frowned and shut the watch, cutting the song off. "But its your song." he objected. Ziggy gave a soft, dark laugh and looked at the watch. "That song... it's called Remuré Memorium. Do you know what that means Dillon?" he asked.

He shook his head but Ziggy didn't look surprised. "Its an old language. It means 'Wish to Remember'." Dillon stared at him, looking for a hint of a joke in his eyes. There wasn't one. "That's why I hate it." Ziggy continued. "It reminds me of... everything."

"Then why were you so attached to the key?" He asked in confusion, remembering the single tear that had slipped past Ziggy's control. Ziggy looked at him and sighed heavily. "Because that watch, those keys, they're a Kane family heirloom. And I'm a Grover. But as long as I had that key no one, not the Elders, not other Kanes, not even my father, could doubt that I could belonged to you." he whispered.

Dillon pressed his eyes closed and tucked his watch away, standing up to walk over to him. "You promised me you wouldn't lie to me. So I'm going to promise you this. From now on, I won't take things out on you." Ziggy stared up at him for a long moment then smiled sadly. "Alright."

--0--0--

Things calmed down after that. The tension disappeared from the team and things went back to some semblance of normal. It wasn't the same, it never would be again, but it was starting to feel like he could breathe again. Dillon and he were able to interact like normal people again and that felt like the best thing in the world. And it turned out that now that they were getting along, the bond made them the best pair on the team during a fight. Apparently having the person in your head be the same person watching your back during a fight was a very, very good thing.

Things were really starting to look up at last. He was no longer getting dragged in and overwhelmed by Dillon's. Dillon no longer tried to start an argument every day. The rest of the team relaxed once they understood that they weren't going to try to kill each other anymore. Everything was finally starting to be good again.

He should have known something else was going to fall apart.

He should have been in bed. He'd been ready to go to bed for nearly an hour. Before he could do though, Dillon had barged into his room, slammed the door, and started pacing. He hadn't said anything for the near hour he'd been here. Ziggy just watched him pace from one end of his room to the other, sitting cross-legged on his bed. Dillon was definitely upset. In fact, something had been bothering him nearly all day, ever since that battle with Venjix. Kilobot had managed to separate Dillon from the rest of the team. He didn't know what had happened during that fight but he did remember a sudden rush of fear, shame, and fierce denial race down the link from Dillon.

Those same emotions were still coming from Dillon now.

"Dillon, can I help you?" he asked carefully, worried for his former fiance. Dillon stopped pacing and turned to look at him. His eyes were dark and slightly frantic."Kilobot told me something." he whispered. "And I know I shouldn't trust him but I can't get his words out of my head. And I know you won't lie to me."

Ziggy smiled slightly and motioned for him to continue. Dillon took a deep breath and moved to stand directly in front of him. "Ziggy tell me the truth, please. Kilobot said... he said that they didn't take my memories away, that it wasn't because of the operation to install the mechanics. He said I'd already given them up. By my own free will."

--0--0--

Dillon stared at Ziggy waiting for an answer. He knew he was being stupid but he couldn't get the words out of his head. Ziggy hadn't been able to tell him the truth and there had been a reason for that. Ziggy hadn't told him what it was, merely said that he couldn't say, but there had been a reason. And he was going to agonize over this until it tore him apart unless he found out the truth.

Ziggy stared at him with dark eyes then sighed and told him. "Yesterday, the one thing you needed to hear was that you were going to get your memories back." He held up a hand to prevent him from saying anything. "And trust me, you will get them back. Today, the one thing you need to hear is that you didn't give them up." Ziggy dropped his eyes and shook his head. When he looked back up, his eyes were dark and closed off. "And I am sorry Dillon. But I can't tell you what you need to hear."


	8. Chapter 7

I first want to apologize for the long wait. And then I want to apologize for how short this chapter is. I had to cut a few sceens from this chapter otherwise I never would have been able to finish. Those sceens have since been slipped into other chapters.

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 7

It felt like the world had fallen out around him. His thoughts spun in an endless circle and his breath came in short, sharp pants. He stared down at Ziggy, the younger man's brown eyes dark and closed off, unable to read. The bond was silent, offering no comfort or reassurance, that all too familiar wall separating them. Ziggy's words echoed hollowly in his head for a long time. _"I am sorry Dillon. But I can't tell you what you need to hear."_

The words weren't a lie. They couldn't be. Ziggy wouldn't lie to him, not now, not after everything, not about **this**. Kilobot had been telling him the truth. He had given up his memories. He had given up everything. His family, his home. Tenaya. God, he'd given up Tenaya. And Ziggy.

He'd left Ziggy alone with his pain.

"Why?" he asked quietly. Why had he left Tenaya defenseless? Why had he left Ziggy terrified and alone in the middle of a war? He needed a reason, a good reason, otherwise he'd go insane. Ziggy stared back at him calmly, seeming unaffected by what was happening. His face was a perfect, blank mask that Dillon was coming to hate as much as his smiling one. The small second of silence grew longer and longer until it felt like they'd been like this all night. And with each passing second, the urge to turn and run without an answer grew and grew. As much as he needed an answer, he was afraid to hear it. Afraid the reason wasn't good enough. Afraid he had just been selfish.

"I can't tell you."

The words were soft, timid, and if it weren't for his implants, he probably wouldn't have heard it. Ziggy looked away from him once he said it, bowing his head and hunching his shoulders. _'I can't tell you.'_ That had been the answer to hundreds of small, unimportant questions he'd asked about his life over the past weeks. Ziggy couldn't tell him anything about life except for vague, irrelevant hints and clues. But this was the first time he had ever asked something so important and gotten that answer. To the important questions Ziggy always found some answer, no matter how strange it seemed. But now, he had nothing.

He slipped down, landing hard on the ground. Ziggy's mask shattered completely at that and he shot up from the bed, kneeling down next to him with a panicked look. Dillon barely heard his worried calls, his thoughts spinning in circles. All the arguments, all the harsh words, pounded down on him, closing in on him from all sides. Things Ziggy had said before suddenly gained a new, sickening meaning. And like someone had slipped a switch, he felt all the anger and mistrust he'd thrown at Ziggy turn back onto himself.

"_I trusted you and you lied to me!"_

"_Did you like watching me suffer?"_

"_Can you even explain this?"_

"_Do you think me that horrible a person?"_

"_You! You left me alone, Dillon!"_

"_You looked right through me…"_

"_You left me alone, Dillon!"_

The feeling of Ziggy's warm hands on his face, tilting his head back up, pulled him back to the present. "My fault." He whispered when he finally had the strength to look Ziggy in the eyes again. His voice sounded hollow even to him. "All this. All the lies and secrets. All the tears. My fault. Right?" he asked quietly, unable to look away now. "You just did what I wanted and I… hated you for it." He raised his hand and gently placed it against Ziggy's cheek, the skin soft and warm beneath his fingers, slowly trailing his thumb over Ziggy's bottom lip. The mere idea of being without this, the sense of belonging, made him want to die. "How could I give this up?"

Ziggy's expression wavered, caught somewhere between sorrow and panic. His mouth opened and closed several times; through the bond, Dillon could hear the start of his previous reply before it was cut short. He continued to slowly stroke Ziggy's cheek, the warmth partly from the bond, partly from Ziggy's skin. "Because," Ziggy paused again and looked down, biting his lip. After a moment, Ziggy looked up again. "You said being with me was good but," He whispered hesitantly. "Keeping Venjix far away from me was **better**."

"Wha…?"

Ziggy shook his head, his expression pained. "I can't say more than that. I'm sorry."

Dillon slipped the hand he had on his cheek to his neck and tugged him closer, pressing a desperate kiss to the younger Ranger's lips. Ziggy should have hated him for leaving. Should have but didn't. No, he loved him too much to do so. Had he known that? That Ziggy loved him so much? Had he uses that, had he expected Ziggy to welcome him with open arms when or even if he did come back? He really hoped he hadn't. The thought made him sick; made him feel like the lowest scum in the world. He pulled away slowly, staring down at Ziggy sadly. "Why did you let me blame you?"

"I feel everything you do, Dillon. So I would rather you hate me than yourself." Ziggy whispered back. He reached his hands up to frame Dillon's face like the older man had previously done. "I can't explain everything. I wish I could but I can't. That's why you have to trust when I say you are the only reason I'm alive right now."

"What's the point of living if you're all alone?" Dillon asked. He had spent months in the Wasteland; he knew what it was like to be alone. It was one of the worst feelings in the world. Ziggy blinked then smiled slightly. He leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips that Dillon gladly lost himself in. It allowed him to push everything to the back of his mind for a few seconds and pretend it wasn't real. He didn't want all these problems to be real. So he drew it out as long as possible.

When Ziggy pulled back, he looked slightly flushed. "I could say something really corny, because I've gotten very good at that lately," he breathed with a small smile of amusement, "but I doubt you would listen much. So I want to show you something." He reached down and gently clasped their hands together. The soft glow of the bond lit up. Dillon didn't say anything, merely looked at him. "Do you remember what this means, Dillon?" he asked quietly. Dillon shook his head. Ziggy didn't look that surprised but he did look a little disappointed; Dillon winced just slightly in response. "When you do," Ziggy told him, "You'll understand."

Dillon stared at him for a long time then pulled him close, holding him tight to his chest and unwilling to let him go. And if he held just a bit too tight, well then, Ziggy never complained.

--0--0--

When Dillon woke up, he knew immediately that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. And he really didn't care. He was warm and comfortable, almost peaceful. He couldn't quite remember where he was or how he had gotten there but he didn't much like the thought of opening his eyes to find out. He would much rather be back asleep. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not fall back to sleep. So he slowly slid his eyes open to look around and the first thing he saw was the top of Ziggy's messy hair.

He blinked in surprise and looked down. Ziggy was lying next to him, not exactly pressed against him but very close to that, and one of his legs was curled against his chest. His expression was peaceful, his breathing even, and the emotions coming from him were undisturbed. When had they crawled into bed last night? Why exactly hadn't he gone back to his room? Slowly, Dillon leveled himself up on his arm to stare down at Ziggy fondly. Ziggy didn't move, just continued to sleep soundly next to him, unaware of the rest of the world.

He thought briefly back to the previous night before shoving the memories to the back of his head, not wanting to think about what he had learned. He shouldn't be here. Not when Ziggy deserved so much more than what he'd been given. As quietly as he could, he rolled out of the bed and eased his shoes back on before walking out. Closing the door as softly as he could, he turned around to find Summer standing at the top of the stairs staring at him with wide eyes. Staring at him walking out of Ziggy's room when she hadn't seen him enter this morning but had last night. Great.

"Dillon?" she whispered in surprise. He decided to go with nonchalant and nodded to her as if this happened every day. "Morning Summer." He greeted, trying to move past her to go downstairs.

She grabbed his elbow as he passed. "I think we should talk Dillon." She told him. Oh boy. He really wasn't up to another heart-to-heart with anyone any time soon. And he didn't want to have to answer any of the many hard and uncomfortable questions she undoubtedly had for him. "So I do." He agreed. "Just not right now." He waited for her to let him go, not wanting to shove her off. But she didn't. He should have known she wouldn't. Damn it, why did he always attract the stubborn ones?

"You'll keep pushing it away and we'll never talk." She insisted. She was probably right but this was so much more Ziggy's area than his. If only he'd thought of all this hassle in Egypt, maybe he would have thought to ask Ziggy what to do about it. Of course, he would have gotten the same answer than that he would get now if he asked: a laugh in the face. Instead, he gave her a minor glare and willed her to let him go. Ziggy always got the message; but then again, Ziggy was in his head. And even before the bond had reawakened, no one had been able to read him the way Ziggy could.

She let him go, surprisingly, but when she did so it seemed almost like some force had pushed her away. He ignored the strange action and gave her another nod then continued down the stairs. He wasn't even two steps away from them when both Gem and Gemma slipped in front of him so fast he had to try not to jump back. He glared hard at them. "What have we said about just appearing like that?" he asked.

Both twins ignored the glare and glanced up to Ziggy's door before looking back down at him as one. It was slightly- a lot- creepy. "You better not-

-hurt him." They told him calmly, almost cheerfully, before bouncing back to whatever they had been doing. He watched them go in confusion and no little fear. They were all aware of just what the twins could do and most of them worried that whatever kind of crazy they had was contagious. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before moving on to the kitchen like he had originally planned. He could already tell it was going to be a long day.

--0--0--

Ziggy's eyes slowly slid open. He smiled softly, hanging onto the last warm visages of his sleep. He didn't want to move, even though he knew he had to. Finally, he pushed himself up, looking around at the rest of his room and sighing when he noticed it was empty except for him. Dillon was gone. He didn't know why he was surprised, really. He hadn't expected Dillon to even stay the night like he had; there was no reason to expect him to be here when he woke up.

Still, he had hoped he would be here.

He closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall back onto the bed. As he lay there, trying not to move, he picked up the fading traces of magic within the building. He frowned slightly at the cluster of energy near the stairs, recognizing the feeling it gave off. A feeling of silent strength and companionship, as if it would pull him in and surround him with warmth. Dillon's magic. He sighed softly and turned his head to bury in the pillow next to him. It still smelled like Dillon. He let both that and the feel of the magic wash over him and surround him, isolating him from the rest of the world. Dillon's magic had always been soothing to him and he had missed its presence. Back at the Kanes' house, Dillon's magic had been used so much that it had become ingrained into the very walls and he had gotten used to it.

The Garage, although pulsing with the presence of all the Rangers, contained not an ounce of magic. Dillon was the exact opposite of him in magic. He had an iron control, the kind that had long since become subconscious, and he had never slipped. When he had forgotten how to use it, he had simply stopped using it. If Ziggy did that though, he'd lose control in seconds. He sighed in renewed contentment. He had missed the calming presence. He'd have to ask later what had prompted Dillon to use it.

As he nestled back into his blankets, preparing to drift back to sleep, he became aware of another source of magic, much farther out, probably not even in the city. And it was just as familiar. It was Tenaya's unique magic, a wealth of power that felt much older than Tenaya herself. It was the biggest clue that pointed to what she truly was. A Seer.

He pulled himself from the mess of blankets and looked in the direction he felt the magic coming from. Her powers were reawakening.

--0--0--

Tenaya 15, although still some part human, had stopped listening to the part of her that demanded, begged, and pleaded that she leave the Rangers alone. She obeyed her programming and Master Venjix, burying the human part of her deeper and deeper till it barely existed any more. Her human side was useless to her now, and thus, needed to be deleted. It was insistent though, always speaking up at the wrong moments.

However, for the last few weeks, that voice had been silent, almost content. A sense of superiority came from that part of her, as if it knew something she did not. And although she did not feel emotions as she once had, a degree of anxiety seized her and didn't let go, building slowly with every day, ever since Rangers Black and Green had returned from their… trip. And whenever she tried to dig deeper into that feeling, uncover what was causing her human side to calm down, all she uncovered were vague images of an antique key, a stylized sword, and clasped hands that glowed a brilliant white. After that, she was blocked out by a wall, as if something was stopping her from accessing her own memory banks.

"Tenaya."

She looked up at the call of her master, pulling herself out of the search through her databanks. Venjix watched her for a moment then beckoned her forward. It was once again time to infiltrate Corinth.


	9. Chapter 8

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 8

It took the alarms blaring to finally drag Ziggy from bed. He sat up, groaning softly, then quickly got dressed, running out of his room still tugging on his jacket. Scott looked up as he ran down the stairs and grinned. "Finally up?" he called as everyone raced to the cars.

"Since when does Venjix attack two days in a row? I was trying to relax." He called back, amazed at the easiness of all of this. They had been doing this way too long by now. He slid into Dillon's car, nodding to him with a small smile. In seconds, they were off. Ziggy watched the road fly past them for a minute before glancing at Dillon out of the corner of his eyes. "You could have stayed." He whispered quietly, referring to that morning. _;I wouldn't have minded.;_ Drifted down the link before he could stop it.

"You deserve better." Dillon told him, gripping the wheel tightly. "I know." He answered. "That's why I have you."

Dillon gave him a considering look but his emotions were a complete blank. After a moment, they arrived at the area of the attack and got in. Almost immediately, his eyes were drawn to Tenaya. There was a wealth of magic spinning inside her body, making him gulp. Had this been happening a few weeks ago, before Venjix had taken complete control of her, she would have been trapped in the throes of a vision. Now, with most of her brain being controlled by a machine, the magic couldn't overwhelm her and play out. So it was just building and building inside her with no outlet. It made her, to his dulled senses, a very bright beacon of magic.

_;What is that?;_

He blinked at the question and glanced over at Dillon. The man was looking at his sister with a frown, obviously not having intended to ask him. _;It's her magic. It's waking up again.;_ he told him. Dillon glanced at him briefly before the Grinders rushed them. Ziggy ducked around them, falling once again into the familiar patterns of fighting he had managed to learn somehow. He took a few out, more than he'd been able to manage in the beginning, before he glanced up and found Dillon trying to handle Tenaya. He was obviously holding back and the magic currently running rampant through her body was amplifying her abilities as it had no other outlet to burn itself out.

He ran towards them, knowing Dillon could use the help against her. He really didn't want to fight her, probably as little as Dillon did, but he wouldn't let Dillon be hurt. A quick thought to Dillon was all it took for the older man to adjust his fighting style just enough for him to slide right in next to him. They really did make the best team.

After a few minutes of fighting though, Scott called them, needing help against the attack-bot. Ziggy made the mistake of looking over at him in worry and immediately felt Tenaya's hand grabbing the material of his shirt and throwing him away. He gasped in surprise, one hand shooting out as he tumbled to the ground. Pain immediately flared around his wrist as he landed wrong, making him stifle a cry. "Ziggy!" He heard Dillon cry out. He moved quickly, trying to get away from the woman attacking him. Dillon ran to help him but Tenaya just threw him back, continuing to approach Ziggy.

Dillon's magic suddenly wrapped around her, throwing her away from him. Ziggy turned towards the man in time to see his eyes go wide and shoot to him. He smiled. _;Thanks.;_

_;Wait. That was me?;_

"Guys! Some help?" Scott shouted. They turned towards him to see the core Rangers struggling with the attack-bot. They nodded to each other and morphed, going to help with the attack bot. Tenaya, unfortunately, would have to wait for another day.

-0-0-

The Garage was relatively quiet. Most of the Rangers were asleep. It had been a long day after all. Very rarely did Venjix attack one day after another. The battle earlier that day had been brutal. Dillon didn't like fighting his sister, no matter what she had become. But he had to regardless of what he wanted. If he didn't the others would and as much as they wanted to save her to, they wouldn't be as nice about it. The fact that he had had to be the one to fight her had kept him up most nights before the problems with Ziggy had begun and consumed his thoughts. For some reason though, there had been something about this battle that had unsettled more than the others since this whole thing had begun. Something that had kept him up long after the others had gone to sleep.

_;Dillon?;_

He jerked upright at the call, looking around his room before sighing. He still hadn't gotten used to Ziggy talking in his head when he was outside the room. The bond had only just solidified enough for them to talk when out of eyesight. It was almost creepy. He closed his eyes and focused, needing either eye contact or severe concentration to send thoughts consciously, although a few unwanted ones seemed to slip through a lot. _;Why aren't you sleeping?;_ he demanded.

_;I could ask you the same question... I couldn't sleep.;_

Dillon shook his head and stood, heading out of his room in only the sweats and thin shirt he usually wore to bed. Ziggy was sitting on the steps of the catwalk, staring almost absently out at the darkened Garage. Much like him, Ziggy was only wearing very loose, thin clothes that suggested he'd tried to sleep before giving up. Dillon sat down next to him, watching him out of the corner of his eye. Ziggy didn't focus on him, remaining distant and far away. "You okay?" he asked.

Ziggy jumped slightly, looking at him as if he hadn't noticed his appearance. Dillon wasn't all that surprised that he hadn't. "Where'd you go Zig?" he asked, watching him carefully. Ziggy blinked at him for a few as if he couldn't understand what he had been asked before he shrugged. "I was thinking." He whispered.

He nodded slightly before he noticed how Ziggy was cradling his wrist. "How's your hand?" he asked. Ziggy shrugged. "It's been bothering me off and on since the battle. It's not broken or anything."

"Let me see." He ordered, picking up Ziggy's hand. Really, what was the point of being able to heal each other if they didn't use the ability? Ziggy could be a real idiot sometimes. He rubbed his fingers carefully over his wrist, watching as Ziggy's expression became peaceful. He continued to slowly run his fingers over the smooth skin of Ziggy's wrist, feeling the bond growing stronger with every careful brush of his fingers. Healing each other, using the bond to communicate, only helped to strengthen the bond between them. "Everything okay?" he asked hesitantly. This seemed like it was one of their more peaceful moments and he didn't want to ruin it.

Ziggy didn't answer for a long moment. Dillon glanced up at him in time to see the peaceful expression on his face slowly disappear as he dragged himself out of the serenity the bond had a way of making. "Just… things." Ziggy muttered quietly. Dillon gave him a dark look. "Anything I need to worry about?" he asked.

The younger man shook his head and looked out at the rest of the room. "You've started using your magic again." Ziggy whispered. "If you say so." He replied. Ziggy nodded as if to say he said so and smiled at him briefly. After a moment, Ziggy slumped against him, sighing quietly. Dillon tensed briefly but allowed it, going back to rubbing his wrist. He wondered briefly where Ziggy's head had gone but he didn't want to push it. Not now, not after today. Not after yesterday.

"This has to be cheating somehow." Dillon whispered, motioning with his head to where he was using the bond to heal Ziggy's sprained wrist. Ziggy smiled slightly and made an amused sound but didn't say anything. "Where's your head Grover?" He asked finally in concern.

Ziggy paused and looked up at him. "It's everywhere." He said eventually. "Things are happening a bit fast is all." When he saw the look Dillon was giving him he sighed. "Well, the bond for one. Tenaya for another."

"What about Tenaya?" he demanded.

"You sensed it yourself Dillon. Her powers are coming back and right now, they have no outlet. I honestly don't know what's going to happen to her." Ziggy told him. "She'll survive, though. Don't worry about that." He sounded so sure that Dillon couldn't help but believe him, despite his worries. He looked back down to the hand in his own and asked, "How's that feel now?"

Ziggy pulled his hand away, twisting it in several directions before smiling and nodding. "Much better." He told him, his smile finally looking like it usually did.

"What did you mean about the bond?" he asked. Ziggy shrugged one shoulder. "It took us months to get the bond as strong as it is right now. It just surprised me is all." He paused then added. "It's going to want to be completed soon."

"How do we do that?" he asked. A teasing grin lit crossed his features. "Some sort of ceremony? Do we have to speak a bunch of magic words?"

Ziggy laughed softly and shook his head, his body shaking with little giggles. "No. Nothing like that. There actually very few things that require the kind of ceremony you're thinking of. And nearly no naturally occurring bonds require any formal words at all."

He gave the younger man a look. "Well aren't you just a fountain of information tonight." He watched as Ziggy shrugged, still giggling as if what he had said was really funny to him. "We should complete it though. The stronger it is the better we heal each other. It'll be better complete."

Ziggy immediately stopped laughing and turned to stare at him with wide eyes, a blush starting to creep up his neck and over his cheeks. After staring at him for a long, tense minute, Ziggy jerked his gaze away, covering his eyes with one hand and shaking his head as if in disbelief. Dillon frowned at the strange reaction and tried to use the bond to see what was going on in his head. A faint thought appeared, hard to make out because it wasn't being sent. '_…know what he's asking. He doesn't know what he's asking. He doesn't know what he's asking.'_

"What am I asking Zig?" he asked in confusion.

Ziggy looked at him through the slit between two of his fingers and gulped. Slowly, he lowered his hand, revealing the fact that his face flushed a very dark red. Dillon arched an eyebrow. Ziggy couldn't hold his gaze and dropped his eyes down to his hands. "Um… god how do I put this?" Ziggy whispered to himself. "Yeah, uh, the bond is… a connection on a deeper, more spiritual level… than most people could ever dream of."He whispered slowly, closing his eyes and wincing for some reason. "However, there is still… a, um… highly physical aspect to the completion."

Dillon stared at the younger man for a minute before his eyes widened. He did not mean what he thought he meant. "You mean I just…?"

"Propositioned me? Yes. Yes you did." Ziggy said, his face now a very bright red. Dillon felt his own face flush in embarrassment. So he had meant what he thought he'd meant. "I… um…"

Ziggy stood abruptly. "I'm going to bed now." He said quickly. He turned and walked away, almost running until he was in his room, slamming the shut. Dillon continued to sit on the stairs for a while, staring at Ziggy's closed doors. He couldn't believe he had done that. He should have gone with his first feeling. He shouldn't have pried.

_;I have a way of screwing these conversations up, don't I?; _He asked, with an ease he didn't have before.

_;Dillon._; Ziggy sent, even his mental voice tense and embarrassed. _;Go to bed.;_ Then that all too familiar wall slammed down again, cutting him off. This conversation was over. He really had to learn how to do that. It wasn't fair that Ziggy could block him out but he couldn't do the same to Ziggy. He sighed and stood, heading to bed.

-0-0-

Dillon lay on the exam table in the lab, trying to stay as still as possible while the scans worked. Ziggy was standing next to him, watching him in concern. Ziggy was whispering reassurements down the bond but was tight-lipped to the Doc. Dillon was really glad that the awkwardness they'd suffered last night was gone. He didn't think he could do this without that wall there today. He needed the warmth of the bond to keep him together.

_;You'll be alright.;_ Ziggy told him. But unlike with every other subject he did not sound sure. When it came to his memories, his sister, or the bond, Ziggy was so sure he couldn't bring himself to worry. The lack of surety about the virus was terrifying.

After a moment, the machines shut down and he slowly sat up, looking over at the Doc. "Well?" he asked, unable to keep a note of worry and desperation out of his voice. She gave him one of those Looks, the ones that were all at once guilty and terrified and as desperate as his own, before returning to the scans. Ziggy placed a careful hand on his shoulder and Dillon let himself lean into it just slightly. Normally, he wouldn't have but not right now. Now he needed it and Ziggy was one of the few he trusted not to take advantage of that dependency.

"It is… not very good." She whispered. "43%. If it reaches 50, it can take you over."

He closed his eyes, fighting against the rising panic in his chest. "Thanks Doc." He whispered carefully. Ziggy's hand dropped from his shoulder and he walked quickly out of the room, Ziggy trailing behind him. After walking a few feet, Summer appeared next to them. Ziggy tensed briefly before he relaxed, trying to smile at her. Dillon knew Ziggy was trying very hard not to let his and Summer's friendship fall apart from the tension. To his surprise, Summer returned the brief smile. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." He said softly but they all knew he didn't mean it. He went to walk away when Summer stopped him again. "Dillon…"

He turned back to her. "I know we need to talk but can we not do it right now?" he begged. Summer looked at him for a few minutes, obviously caught between her need to talk to him and her wish to take care of him. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. Ziggy looked between them before nodding to himself and walking away, heading towards the twins.

_;You better talk to her or I will hurt you.;_ Ziggy warned him briefly. Dillon sent the boy an annoyed look at being abandoned but turned back to Summer. "I guess we're talking." He muttered.

"We can have a real talk later if you want but, just tell me one thing." Summer requested. He nodded in agreement. Summer took a deep breath and asked him, looking very much like she didn't want to know the answer. "Is it even worth the effort of trying to get you back? Of trying to break you and Ziggy up?"

He blinked at her in confusion before glancing over to where Ziggy was chatting with the twins. Ziggy was laughing at whatever they were saying, bright smile still spread across his face. Dillon looked back at Summer and shook his head. "No. Don't bother." He told her.

"You love him." She whispered, sounding surprised and awed. Her eyes were wide. "Just like he loves you."

He couldn't stop the small smile from forming on his face. He glanced over at Ziggy again. Ziggy looked at him this time as well, his smile sweet and his eyes warm and rich. He said something to the twins that made them look at him as well. "Summer, you don't know the half of it." he told her quietly. She watched him for a moment.

"Something happened out there didn't it? In Egypt. We all know something did."

"Something did. But I'm not ready to talk about it yet." He told her quietly. She nodded, a few tears welling in her eyes. "When you are, let's finish this talk." She whispered. He nodded in agreement. Summer made to turn away from him but Dillon grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place. He looked closely at her. "I do care about Summer. A very great deal. Just not how you want to. And I am sorry about that but I can't help it."

She nodded, still looking like she was going to cry. He let her go, wondering if he should have told her that. It might, he realized, have done more harm than good. He was no good at this.

-0-0-

Ziggy sat down in front of the twins, trying to give the two behind him some semblance of privacy. He really wanted them to work this out. Summer was a great girl and he liked being her friend. He didn't want to lose her because of all this and he knew Dillon didn't want to either. It was hard on all three of them but he thought that, despite the virus and Tenaya, some things were starting to look up and he hoped the situation with Summer would be added to that list.

"What are you two up to?" he asked. Gem and Gemma looked at him with identical wide grins. Ziggy was relieved to notice they were real. The three of them knew each other's tells. They were the only ones who could tell when their smiles were genuine; Dillon didn't count, he had the unfair advantage of the bond and he couldn't read Gem and Gemma. The two started talking rapidly about what they were doing, occasionally adding in a few jokes that made him laugh.

After a minute, he became aware of Dillon's eyes on him but he ignored the man, letting him finish his talk with Summer. Gem and Gemma noticed it as well and looked at him in concern. "Is everything okay between you two?" Gem asked him, tone serious. The two always showed how serious they were by actually using complete sentences. "Because if he's hurting you," Gemma added. "We'll make him regret it."

"Everything's fine." He told them, smiling. They stared at him for another minute before smiling identically again. They were willing to trust him to handle himself.

"Hey Ziggy," Gemma asked him. "Do you-"

"Believe in wishes?" Gem ended, both looking at him curiously.

He watched them for a minute before turning his head to look at Dillon. Dillon was already watching him with a small smile. He couldn't stop the sweet smile that crossed his face in response, feeling his eyes soften. Wishes… "Yeah, yeah I do."


	10. Chapter 9

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 9

Ziggy woke up with a start, breathing heavily. The dream he'd been having echoed around his head, all fleeting shadows and dark corners. He couldn't remember what it had been about but that was probably a good thing. He sat up slowly, rubbing one hand across his forehead then through his hair, trying to calm himself down. It took a while but eventually he was able to bring both his heartbeat and breathing under control. It wasn't until he did that that he realized the feeling of pain and horror slipping down the link and into his mind. It was probably what had disturbed his dream in the first place.

He closed his eyes, sending a mental call down the link. He didn't get any reply. Despite the emotions he was sending, Dillon's mind was quiet. He was probably still asleep. Immediately, Ziggy got up, running out of his room and towards Dillon's. He wasn't going to let Dillon suffer through another nightmare alone if he could help it. He tried the door but found it locked. Biting his lip, he called out to Dillon again, hoping he could wake the man up. Still nothing. He sighed heavily, contemplating the door in front of him.

He was about to turn around and get one of the other Rangers to try to bust the lock when the pain washing down through the bond suddenly increased. He collapsed to his knees, gasping and trying to keep tears at bay. _;Dillon, please! Wake up!;_ he called. Dillon remained asleep. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself to his feet again, grabbing the doorknob once more. He was under strict orders not to use the Series Green powers outside of morph ever again. The more he did it, the more he ran the risk of permanently damaging his body from the power drain. Screw it. He grabbed the energy and pulled it forward before rather painfully forcing it out through the center of his palm. The metal of the doorknob indented and cracked in several places and he heard the lock snap. Cradling his now aching hand to his chest, he pushed into the room.

The power of the emotions Dillon was sending doubled with the close proximity, making him wince. The emotions seemed to seep through his mind, pulling up any and every bad memory he had.

"_You can't stay here anymore."_

"_This wedding will happen, no matter you're feelings on it!"_

"_What are we doing Dillon?"_

"_You worthless piece of trash! Do you know how embarrassed I am? Having you as a son right now?"_

"_Goodbye Ziggy."_

He forced his feet to take him closer to the man on the bed, pushing the memories as far back in his mind as he could. Dillon was sweating heavily, the sheets tangled and twisted around him. Ziggy approached him slowly, not sure how the man would react to him waking him up when he was in this state. He sat down on the bed next to him, reaching out to shake him awake while he whispered reassurances down the bond. Dillon jerked awake, grabbing the hands shaking him and using the grip to pull Ziggy down. There was a sudden mess of movement and when it stopped, Ziggy found himself trapped beneath Dillon's warm body, both his hands pinned above his chest.

"Dillon…" he whispered, fighting for the breath that had been knocked out of him. "Dillon it's me."

Dillon looked down at him with dark eyes, breathing heavily. "Zig...gy?" he muttered. Dillon stared down at him for a minute, as if he couldn't figure out what was going on. Then Dillon dropped down onto him, his hands moving from around his wrists to clutch at his shirt. Ziggy stiffened for a minute, unused to such a display of outright emotion, and then wrapped his arms around Dillon, whispering softly. "It's alright. It's just a nightmare." He ran his hands slowly over Dillon back and through his thick hair, trying to send as many good emotions as he could. It wasn't easy. He could feel Dillon's own turmoil beating against him, slipping through into his own mind again. Ziggy felt his heartbeat pick up in response to the new emotions.

He closed his eyes, trying to center himself so he could help Dillon. Memories kept trying to slip through his hold though, playing in front of his eyes before he could drag them back under control. He frowned tightly, trying to make Dillon calm down so he could get both of them under control. Before he could do very much, another memory slipped past his grasp, flashing across his eyes.

_Ziggy chased after Dillon, breathing heavily but smiling widely. Dillon had given him the watch nearly a month ago and ever since then Ziggy had been having the time of his life. The two found time to steal kisses away from the rest of the world and were almost always together now. He loved it._

"_Where are we going?" He called to the much faster boy ahead of him. Dillon turned briefly to give him a wide grin before facing forwards again. Ziggy shook his head briefly. The Kanes house had a massive amount of unused ground and Dillon knew every inch of it. And he was quite eager to show it to him. Ziggy didn't mind; it got them away from everything else and he'd go for that any time. Slowly they came to a stop, Dillon pulling him next to him. Ziggy leaned against him and smiled at his… his what? His boyfriend? He honestly didn't know what to call Dillon. "This is it?" he asked, looking around. There wasn't anything around, although the Kane house was visible in the distance, along with the small woods that hid it from the site of the road._

"_I just thought… we'd get away for a while. Not go anywhere, just get away from everyone." Dillon told him, smiling warmly._

_Ziggy returned the small smile, liking the idea very much. Dillon stepped closer, sliding both his arms around his waist to hold him against his chest. Ziggy sighed softly in contentment, resting his head against Dillon's chest. "Ziggy," Dillon breathed against his ear. "My Ziggy."_

_A blush spread across his cheeks at the term used to describe him but he smiled all the same. He pulled back, catching Dillon's mouth with his own. Warmth and belonging sparked, making him press closer. Something very fitted fell into place, like it had all clicked together in his head. He had never felt as right as he did in the circle of Dillon's arms. The thought of pulling away and returning to the house, of having to pretend he felt nothing for Dillon was painful. He wanted to stay here forever. He didn't want to have to go back to acting like Dillon was nothing more than the man who would one day become his brother-in-law._

_And that was dangerous. The closer they got, the harder it was to draw away. One day, they wouldn't be able to. They'd screw up and then everything would be ruined._

_He forced himself to pull away and then jerked himself out of Dillon's embrace. Dillon blinked at him dazedly, not understanding why he had pulled away. "What are we doing, Dillon?" he asked quietly. "I'm getting married soon. To your sister." _

_Dillon closed his eyes, his expression pained. It was obvious Dillon had known this would happen eventually but had hoped it would happen a lot later. "Ziggy…" He whispered, his tone making tears pool into his eyes._

"_We can't keep doing this Dillon. It's not right." He whispered, his voice breaking. Dillon nodded slowly. "I know." He whispered. He stepped closer and gently grasped his chin, placing a soft kiss against his forehead. He pulled back slowly, his breath coming out shaky. "Goodbye Ziggy Grover." Dillon whispered, his tone tight and layered with tears. Dillon turned around and walked away._

_Ziggy let him, feeling his heart break a bit more with every step the older man took away from him. Everything in him cried out against letting Dillon walk away; everything told him to bed Dillon to come back, to forgive him for pushing him away. But he couldn't. They had to stay away from each other. He could do it. He was strong enough. He wrapped his arms around himself, tilting his head to the sky and letting tears trail slowly down his face. No part of him seemed to believe that. _

Ziggy pushed the memory away and buried his head in Dillon's hair, hoping it hid the tears that had started to form. "It's alright." He whispered softly, his voice cracking. "It's going to be alright." He told Dillon, wishing he believed it himself. Dillon just held tighter.

-0-0-

Dillon paced the whole length of his room, trying to calm his roiling emotions. For some reason, the virus growing in him had consumed all his thoughts lately. He rarely had any time to think about his sister or, more importantly for now, the whole mess with Ziggy. He could feel the damn thing growing in the back of his head, gaining more and more ground in his body and there was nothing he could do to stop it. It was a terrifying feeling and what was worse was he was sure Ziggy could feel it as well. He could see it in the younger man's eyes sometimes. A desperate sort of helplessness that was slowly growing every day.

It had been nearly a week since Ziggy had first tried to wake to him from a nightmare and had to reassure him after. The same thing had happened every night since then. He had talked to K earlier. It was growing faster. If it kept growing at this rate, he had, at best, another week left. If it wasn't at best, he'd have less than days. She was working on a cure as fast as she could, trying to beat the clock. He knew, with a grim certainty, that she wouldn't win.

Ziggy slipped into the room suddenly, making him look at the younger man. Ziggy watched him with cautious eyes, like he wasn't sure what to expect. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" he snapped. Ziggy flinched slightly. He sighed and forced himself to calm down. He'd sworn he wouldn't get angry with Ziggy unless the younger man really deserved it. "What?" he asked, softer this time.

"I'm worried about you." Ziggy whispered, stepping closer to him. He sighed and lifted one shoulder in a tired shrug. "You were right. Everything's happening so fast. I can't handle it. None of it." he said.

Ziggy watched him for a long moment then looked away. "Should I leave you alone then?" he asked. "I don't make things exactly easy for you, I know." Dillon watched the younger man for a moment then nodded. "That's probably a good idea." He replied. Ziggy winced slightly but turned to leave the room. "If you need anything, I'm always right here." Ziggy told him quietly. He nodded in acknowledgment. Ziggy left, looking back at him uncertainly. He obviously wanted to stay and help him but he knew it wouldn't work.

Dillon sighed and moved to lean against the standard desk that was in each room, sighing heavily. He couldn't do this. At all. It was too much. He couldn't handle it. He had to leave before he hurt someone. He could already see what would happen if he lost control; could already see the others twisted and bleeding heavily from his attack. He could, with sickening clarity, see Ziggy's limp form on the ground at his feet, blank, lifeless brown eyes gazing ahead of him, a bright red pool of blood slowly seeping around him. And it would his hands coated in the younger man's blood.

_No!_

He shook the thought angrily from his head, trying not to think about it. He had to get out of here. Before that little nightmare could become a reality. He straightened and moved to his dresser, grabbing the bag he'd shoved under the desk along the way. Before he could so much as think about throwing any of the multiple clothes he had gained into the bag, his door burst back open and Ziggy ran in. He jerked his head towards him in surprise, blinking rapidly. "Ziggy?" he whispered in surprise as Ziggy slammed the door and approached him quickly. Before he could wonder why Ziggy had come back, the younger man reached out and slapped him. His head jerked to the side at the hit.

He stayed like that for a few seconds before looking back at Ziggy in surprise. Ziggy merely stared back with wide eyes, hand still outstretched from slapping him. "Don't you dare." Ziggy whispered, breathing shakily. He looked unsettled and terrified. "Don't you dare run again."

"I can't stay." He whispered.

"And I can't lose you again!" Ziggy shouted, a single tear falling down his cheek. Dillon stared down at him with slightly wider eyes than normal. "I barely managed last time." Ziggy told him, sounding wrecked. "I won't be able to handle it again. I'm not that strong."

Dillon doubted that. Ziggy was the strongest person he'd ever met. Despite everything he'd been through Ziggy was somehow still able to pull himself back up day after day. He honestly thought Ziggy was able to handle anything. "You can do this without me." He whispered.

"No I can't!" Ziggy shouted again. "I never could. I was lost without you, Dillon. I can't do it again."

Dillon watched him for another minute then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Ziggy. He leaned his head down to rest it against Ziggy's shoulder. He sighed heavily. "Tell me it's going to be alright." He pleaded.

Ziggy reached up to cup his hands around Dillon's neck. "I can't." He whispered. Dillon really hated Ziggy's promise to him right now. He wanted Ziggy to tell him everything was going to be okay, even if it was a lie. He didn't want to have this weighing on him anymore. He didn't want to deal with any of this anymore. But he couldn't leave Ziggy alone to fall apart, not until he absolutely had to.

"We'll make it through this." Ziggy told him quietly. Dillon could tell he meant it. It was one of the great things about having the bond this strong was that they could tell if one another was lying in any way. Ziggy wasn't sure if they were going to come out of this in one piece but they were going to come out of it. That would have to be enough.

Dillon sighed again, reaching up to gently grab one of Ziggy's hands with his, curling their fingers together. He needed the warmth of the bond right now if he was going to get through this. The soft white light lit up the room immediately, making him sigh in contentment. He leaned further against Ziggy, knowing Ziggy would tell him if he couldn't handle his weight. He could slowly feel the fear and panic that had been growing slowly inside him ease away. "Dillon…" Ziggy whispered.

Dillon pulled away slowly, pausing enough to press a soft kiss to the corner of Ziggy's mouth. When he went to pull away, Ziggy turned his head and caught his lips in a full kiss. Dillon gave into the kiss when the feeling of contentment increased, letting it wash across his mind. Something that felt very fitted fell into place. Ziggy sighed softly against his lips in pleasure, using the hand still on his neck to pull him closer. Dillon let himself be dragged closer, tightening his arm around Ziggy's waist to hold him against him.

The light of their intertwined hands brightened suddenly but he barely noticed it. He merely pressed closer, slipping his tongue between Ziggy's lips. Ziggy moaned softly and gripped the back of his neck tightly. Ziggy twined their tongues together. Dillon couldn't stop the groan that escaped him as Ziggy teased him easily. Despite their time apart, Ziggy hadn't forgotten just how to kiss him. He could make it one of the most pleasurable things Dillon could remember feeling. It was a knowledge Dillon had, unfortunately, lost with the rest of his memories. Right now though, He thought he'd like to relearn everything he'd forgotten.

His eyes snapped open and he pulled away abruptly, staring down at Ziggy. Ziggy didn't open his eyes immediately, just stood there for a few seconds as if he was waiting for more. The look on his face, flush dusted across his cheeks, lips plumb and bruised and still open, and his eyes closed in pleasure, drove him crazy sometimes. It would be easy, Dillon mused, to just continue this. In fact, one of the walls was only a few steps behind Ziggy. It wouldn't be that hard to back Ziggy against it, to relearn everything he'd forgotten about the younger man's body. And if the way Ziggy was now looking up at him said anything, he wouldn't object at all. He stepped closer before he could stop himself, leaning down again.

Then he forced himself to stop, stepping back fully as that any contact between them was lost. The minute their hands slid apart, the urge to slam Ziggy's against the wall and ravage him faded. It didn't disappear but it did get easier to control. He backed away even further, watching as the dazed look in Ziggy's eyes cleared a little. Ziggy coughed slightly to break the sudden silence, his blush deepening. "You're not going to run?" Ziggy asked.

He shook his head. "No. I'll stay for as long as possible." He answered. Ziggy looked at him like he wasn't sure what to think about it then smiled weakly, shifting slightly. Things were starting to become awkward. "I guess I'll see you in the morning." He whispered. Dillon nodded again. Ziggy stepped forward suddenly, laying a gentle hand on Dillon's shoulder. "We'll get through this." Ziggy told him again before he left.

Ziggy walked slowly out of the room, trying to push down his emotions. He didn't like walking away when he wasn't sure Dillon was going to stay with them. Everything in him cried out against doing so but he forced himself to do it. Dillon needed space. And he needed to be away from Dillon for a few minutes. He had been right. The bond wanted to be completed. And it didn't care about what they were going through.


	11. Chapter 10

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 10

Gem and Gemma were… protective of Ziggy. The younger man understood them in a way none of the others could, not even K. K felt guilty for what she'd done, she had shadows weighing on her shoulders. But Ziggy had a deep darkness all around his heart, haunting him every day, and he had to smile constantly because if he didn't he'd fall apart into too many pieces to put back together. The twins were the same. They had recognized that trait in Ziggy the first week they were here; around the same time, Ziggy had recognized it in them. Since then, they'd been protective of the young man.

Ziggy was a strong person but he was still remarkably fragile. Anyone walking around with that kind of weight on their shoulders always was. There were times when the younger man had come to them, wishing to escape from the rest of team, to not have to keep up a façade of always being okay. They helped him where they could, found ways to keep him sane when things got too rough for him to handle on his own, and they took great care to never push far enough to make him break. Ziggy never told them much but whatever was troubling was probably a lot bigger than anything they could have guessed.

And in return, Ziggy kept their secrets, hid their darkness from the rest of the team, and helped them adjust to living in the city. They had often found themselves sharing some of their darker nightmares with the young man, needing his bright smile to chase away their demons. Sometimes they even shared their lighter secrets. Ziggy was one of those types where it felt like they could tell him anything and he'd keep their confidence.

And then, he'd disappeared. It had been a hard day on the boy, harder than usual. Nearly immediately after he'd woken up, Ziggy had run back to his room, slamming the door just a bit harder than was strictly necessary. They'd known that it was bad then when Ziggy hadn't come to them. Then they'd seen Dillon and Summer coming out of the kitchen, Dillon looking up at Ziggy's door worriedly. Everything had fallen into place with that and they'd traded concerned looks. The two of them and Ziggy had roughly the same tells so it had been easy to see just how in love with Dillon Ziggy really was and just how much Ziggy was hurt that Dillon didn't even seem to notice him once Summer was in the room. When the alarms had gone off, it had been a few seconds before Ziggy had come back down, looking worn, with his shirt messy, and his eyes red-rimmed. No one but them had seemed to notice the fragility with which Ziggy was holding himself together. The twins had sworn to themselves that when they'd gotten back, they'd grab the boy and hold him close, shield him from the rest of the world till he was okay again. They hadn't gotten the chance.

For nearly a week, they'd fretted themselves sick, worried about Ziggy. They worried about his health, about if he was even alive; where he was if he was, if Dillon was with him, if he could handle being with Dillon so soon after his breakdown. They'd worried that they'd lost the one person on the team that could look past their mask and see their pain.

Then, he'd been back. He'd been swaying on his feet, horribly pale, and glazed-eyed, but he'd been back and in one piece. Dillon had been with him and for the few days during Ziggy's recovery, the twins had thought everything would be okay. They'd been wrong. Once Ziggy was back to normal, he and Dillon started going for each other's throats. The arguments they'd had were brutal, cutting, and sometimes terrifying in their ferocity. Any sense of the comradeship and friendship they'd had before was gone. It had seemed like getting them to just talk to each other like civilized people again would be impossible. Them regaining the close friendship they'd had would be unattainable.

It hadn't made sense. The two had been so close, Ziggy had loved Dillon so fiercely, that the level of hate they'd been channeling shouldn't have happened. Nevertheless, it had and even the twins couldn't get Ziggy to tell them what had happened. Something had happened while they were gone, something neither had told them about, and they all knew it. It hurt that Ziggy hadn't trusted them with that knowledge.

However, the twins had seen what the others hadn't. They'd seen, once the sun had gone down and Ziggy and Dillon had been too tired to fight, how close the two had grown during their time away. They'd seen it before even Summer had. The friendship hadn't gone away. It had just been buried. It had taken them a while to realize it, a lot longer to understand how. Even now, the twins weren't sure they understood.

In one respect though, Summer had understood what they hadn't. She had noticed long before the fighting had stopped what was going on. They hadn't. No, it hadn't been until Scott had interfered, which they had both realized was a bad idea the minute he had done it, and Ziggy had snapped that they'd noticed what was happening.

Despite all the anger, all the fights, Dillon had somehow fallen in love with Ziggy.

It had been shocking to figure out. But it had certainly explained a few things, Summer moping around and giving the boys odd looks throughout the day being only one of them. Now that the fights had stopped, reduced to only a dark silence between the two that had completely disappeared in the following, the twins were actually starting to feel happy for their friend. Ziggy had always been so dedicated to Dillon, showing a love that the twins hadn't known was possible until then. He deserved to have it returned.

And if the twins made a point that if Ziggy was ever hurt in any way, Dillon was going to wish he'd never been born, well then, they didn't think anyone would blame them too much. Gemma was even pretty sure she could convince Flynn to help.

-0-0-

Scott was concerned. Okay, he was going mad with worry. Why? He had become convinced some greater power was trying to make the lives of his team as hard and painful as possible. First, Ziggy and Dillon had disappeared, leaving them all to fuss and fret and worry about the two with no idea if they were even alive. When they'd finally come back, one of the best partnerships on the team had been ripped apart with the two's fighting; fighting the two refused to explain, even under orders to do so. And then once that had been fixed, Summer had started to sulk about the Garage, sighing periodically for no apparent reason she would explain. She wouldn't tell anyone what was wrong. He had a few guesses himself, the one he was surest about being that she and Dillon had broken up, but there wasn't anything he could really do until she talked to him. Even the little comfort he'd tried to give her lately didn't seem to be doing much good.

Despite his worry about his suddenly depressive Ranger Yellow, his worry about Dillon took priority. The virus was winning. Dillon wasn't going to be able to last much longer and they all knew it. It was a constant threat that weighed over all of them. Everyone was on edge around Dillon. Hell, Dillon himself was on edge all the time. The Black Ranger constantly broody lately. He never said more than three words to someone anymore. There were dark bruises under his eyes from a lack of sleep and a haunted look _in_ his eyes that shouted his fear to anyone that looked. Every day that past he grew inwards more and more, muscles growing taunt and lips pressing into a thin line. A good part of him couldn't believe he hadn't tried to run away yet.

Another, smaller part only needed to look next to the older man to understand why he hadn't. Ziggy was always close by Dillon now, despite how volatile he had become and how turbulent their friendship had been. Dillon never turned his anger on to Ziggy, as if in apology for all the arguments they'd been having, but he was even curter with Ziggy than with the others. Ziggy had paled lately and rings had formed under his eyes as well and Scott knew that Ziggy was up every night with Dillon, trying to keep him here and in control and, most importantly, sane.

The two had been acting very different lately, ever since they'd gotten back from Egypt and Scott didn't get it.

"I don't get it." Scott told Flynn. The Scotsman hummed softly, dropping a banana into the blender before turning to look at Scott. The smoothie was a formality these days, just him trying to inject a sense of normalcy into their lives while everything else crashed and burned. He didn't even really taste the drink anymore, all his thoughts focused on everything that was starting to go wrong. He still did it though because he knew a few appreciated it. The others needed the normalcy, the anchor the familiar act provided, Dillon and Ziggy among them. He turned to look at his team leader. "Wha' don't ye get?"

"Them." Scott answered, waving a tired hand towards the two men sitting away from the rest of the team, not saying anything to each other, just staring blankly in front of them. "Dillon never talks to Ziggy. Ziggy never says anything back. They just sit there, day after day. They sit there and do nothing. It's not like them and I don't get it."

Flynn gave the Red Ranger an amused look. "They talk. We jus' don' hear 'um."

Scott gave him a confused look. "That makes no sense."

Flynn gave his friend a sympathetic look. "It's like with Gem and Gemma. The two don' need to talk to each other to know wha' the other's thinkin'." He explained. "Ziggy and Dillon are close. They understand each other."

"But with everything that's been happening recently between them-"

"Scott." Flynn interrupted, giving him a serious look. "Tha' is one relationship I ain't touchin'." He warned. It was true. He knew _something_ was going on between the two. Wasn't sure what exactly but since the two weren't tearing into each other anymore Flynn knew it really wasn't any of his business. If the two wanted to talk to them, to tell them what was going on, they would. Pushing it before the two were ready would probably just make things worse. Dillon and Ziggy had to figure things out for themselves first and Flynn wasn't going to deny them their right to do so. "Besides," he told Scott with a wicked grin. "Anythin' happen to Ziggy and the twins are goin' to make Dillon pah for it."

Scott got a look on his face as if he wasn't sure what to think about that but didn't say anything, accepting the drink Flynn handed him. They were silent after that. Everyone was silent after that. They were always silent now a days. Even the twins. Even Ziggy. Nobody chose to mention how unnatural it was; how afraid everyone was.

-0-0-

Dillon hadn't slept the past three days. So of course, neither had Ziggy. Ziggy didn't mind all that much. Sleeping meant nightmares and they both had horrible ones. Nighttime wasn't easy on either of them anymore. Ziggy, with alarming frequency, could sometimes feel the virus through the link, a thick black poison slowly spreading through Dillon's mind. It hadn't noticed the bond yet but Ziggy thought it was only a matter of time before it did, before it figured out how to use it against them. It was a terrifying thought, one he had chosen not to share with Dillon. The man had enough problems.

Ziggy leaned back against the wall in Dillon's room, watching the older man. Dillon was laid out on his bed, arms tucked behind his head and staring blankly at the ceiling. He wasn't even trying to sleep. Normally, they talked about useless things, anything to take their minds off the virus, anything to get them through to the next sunrise. Dillon hadn't said anything yet though and Ziggy didn't know what to.

"Ziggy." Dillon called. He made a soft sound in the back of his throat in acknowledgement. "Tell me something."

"What?"

"Anything. Something about before. When we were kids." Dillon requested. Ziggy watched him for a minute, tilting his head to the side, watching him, weighing what he could say. A million fond memories jumped to his attention, a million things he could say. Immediately, the spell preventing him from telling Dillon about his past awakened, warning him that those were memories he couldn't tell Dillon about. It was a stupid spell and he hated it but it was the only thing allowing him to know what was safe to tell Dillon. Without it, he probably would have ruined everything.

Finally, he found one of the rare memories that he could talk about. "I was sixteen when I was forced to move into the Kane house. My parents said it would be for the best, would help me grow closer to Tenaya. I hated the idea. I wanted to stay home. I was sixteen years old and I'd only lived in my own home, with my family, for five it. I was so, ready to hate that place. Then, I got there. You, Tenaya, and your father, you were all waiting for me. I'd seen you maybe twice that but when I saw you then, that's when the bond really took shape. The minute I saw you," he trailed off and looked up through slightly misty eyes to see Dillon propped up on one arm, staring at him with gentle eyes. "The Grovers' stopped being home because I'd gotten all of you."

It was sappy really but it was true. His ancestral house had never felt like home after that. He honestly didn't think he could have ever called it home. The few times he'd been there during his life he had been, at best, a guest.

Dillon stared at him for a minute before sitting up. A slight grin passed over his face for the first time in the last week or so, making a warm feeling travel through his body. "So, I guess my old man was cool?" he asked. Ziggy tilted his head down, laughing softly. Dillon had never called Rowan Kane 'his old man' before. Ziggy couldn't imagine **anyone **_ever_ calling Lord Kane, one of the most competent and dangerous magic users the Kane family had ever produced, an old man. He looked back up at Dillon with a fond smile. "Papa is a great man. And an even greater father." He told him.

Dillon stared at him for a few minutes with a raised eyebrow. "Papa?" he asked, obviously amused. Ziggy blushed faintly but kept his smile. "He insisted I call him that. He said that calling him Lord Kane was too formal since I was marrying his son." He laughed softly. "Your father was very kind to me. Especially when bond first appeared. In fact, both your parents were. I've always considered them my parents as well." He told him. Dillon smiled, joy brightening his gaze briefly at the news of his parents before he looked down.

"You know, I don't even remember their names." Dillon whispered. Ziggy opened his mouth to utter the familiar names before the spell activated again, preventing him from saying anything. Of all the things he couldn't tell Dillon, it had to be his parents' names. He sighed softly, the spell letting go when he gave up. He hated that stupid spell. It prevented him from doing anything that might reveal something to Dillon. Of course, once Dillon figured out something on his own, he could talk about it freely. But before then, he couldn't say anything. He looked away, not wanting to meet Dillon's expectant, hopeful eyes.

After a minute of thought he reached up and grasped the necklace he still wore. He tugged it out from beneath his shirt and ran his fingers carefully over the two rings that still hung there. "These were theirs." He said, meeting Dillon's eyes. "They wanted us to have them."

Dillon stood up and walked towards him for a better look at the two rings he'd barely given a second glance before. Ziggy gulped tightly and let Dillon examine them. "You can have them if you want." He whispered, trying to hide the pain in his voice. Although the key had a lot more value to him then the rings, the rings were still special to him. The key meant he was Dillon's no matter what anyone else said about it. But the rings showed that Dillon's parents had accepted him as their own. That had meant a lot to him, especially after the disaster with his own father. He didn't want to give them up. But if Dillon asked him, he would. Like the key, they didn't really belong to him. They were gifts, that was all. And if Dillon wanted them back, he didn't have much of a say in it.

Dillon's hand curled around the two keys and he shut his eyes, bracing himself to give them up. Them their familiar weight fell back against his chest, clinking softly together.

He snapped his eyes open, gazing up at Dillon in shock. "You've been taking good care of them so far. You can keep them." Dillon told him softly. Ziggy let out a shuttering breath, feeling tears gather at the corners of his eyes. Honestly, he hadn't expected to be able to keep them. He hadn't been prepared for that. "Thank you." He whispered, his voice tight. He wondered if Dillon really knew how much this meant to him.

He reached up, wrapping his arms around Dillon's neck and burying his head in his shoulder. Dillon hesitated for a moment before he wrapped his arms around his waist. "You okay?" he asked. He nodded rapidly, hiding both his smile and his tears in Dillon's shoulder. "I'm more than okay." He whispered.

Dillon pulled him back, causing his hands to fall from his neck, frowning at the tears slowly trailing down his face, looking confused by the smile. "You make no sense to Grover." He whispered. Ziggy just laughed softly, glad to see some of the darkness in Dillon's eyes was gone, and grabbed his shirt to pull him into a kiss. It was slow, sweet, and familiar. Dillon was relearning how to kiss him again, picking up what had faded after a year alone in the Wastes and Ziggy didn't really mind that it meant he was losing his advantage. He lowered his hand and tangled it with Dillon's. The moment had become easy by now, no longer felt weird and awkward like it had when Dillon was still unsure about the bond. It felt natural.

The bond sparked alive and flooded heat through his body. The kiss deepened abruptly, turning greedy and passionate. Dillon stepped closer, cupping the back of his head and deepening the kiss, tangling their tongues together. Ziggy moaned softly as the hand in his hair played with the strands, his own hand finding the end of Dillon's shirt and slipping under to brush over the older man's heated skin. Dillon growled slightly, pulling back to mouth quick, biting kisses down his neck. Occasionally, he'd pause long enough to play with the skin, biting and licking along the spots he'd chosen. Ziggy could feel bruises slowly forming. He shivered slightly in response, the hand beneath Dillon's shirt starting to claw at his back. "Dillon…" he breathed.

Dillon moved back up, biting along the edge of his jaw. After a moment, Dillon's mouth found the spot next to his ear where his jawbone ended. He dipped down, propping with his tongue at the hollow beneath his jaw before starting to bite and suck at it. A strangled cry of pleasure burst past his lips and his knees buckled, causing the full weight of his body to crash against Dillon's. That small hollow, like his hair, was one of his weak spots and Dillon had loved to play with it before Venjix.

Dillon shifted his grip from his hair to around his waist, holding him up. Ziggy rested against him bonelessly, panting softly. Dillon backed him up slowly before picking him up, resting him on top of the desk that Dillon had never used. He let his legs fall open so Dillon could step between them, returning his attention to his neck. He groaned softly and wrapped his legs around Dillon's waist, pulling himself closer to the delicious heat of Dillon's body, rubbing slowly against him. Dillon growled again, pulling back and yanking Ziggy's shirt off, throwing it on the floor. Immediately he started to trail kisses down Ziggy's chest, taking pleasure in Ziggy's breathless gasps as he did so. Ziggy moaned repeatedly, arching up against him.

God, it had been so long since Dillon had touched him like this. He needed it badly.

The bond continued to wash heat and desire through his body, making it hard for him to focus on anything other than the heat of Dillon's mouth on his bare torso. Dillon crept down, swirling his tongue slowly around one nipple, making him whine. God, that felt good. Dillon looked up at him briefly, eyes glazed with lust before returning his attention to his chest. He took in shuddering breathes, tangling on hand in Dillon's hair. He wanted to move his other hand to but that would require him to break the contact of their hands and he didn't want that. That would weaken the bond and…

Wait, the bond… There was something about the bond he needed to remember. It wanted… to be completed. Yeah, something about…

His eyes snapped open and he immediately started trying to push Dillon away from him. "No, Dillon, no. Stop it." He pleaded. Dillon groaned softly in annoyance, nuzzling against his neck. Ziggy closed his eyes as the feeling washed over him. Oh, that felt _good_. No! He snatched his other hand away from Dillon's, using them to push against Dillon's chest. "Dillon stop it. Please." He begged. Dillon paused, looking up at him with confused eyes, blinking slowly. "Zig?" he asked, his voice low and rough. A shiver raced down his spine but he ignored it, forcing Dillon away from him.

Dillon stumbled away until he was leaning against the wall across from Ziggy, a strange look passing over his face. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the lingering influences of the bond. "Wha…what was that?" he asked, panting heavily and looking a little freaked out. While under the bond's spell it was impossible to notice, a difference between what the bond was creating and what were your own emotions. Once the contact was lost though, the desire created by the bond felt awkward and artificial. Ziggy gulped thickly, resisting the bond-created urge to jump Dillon again. He couldn't do that. There was still too much going on between them to even think about complicating things further by having them sleep together.

He shifted awkwardly on top of the desk, feeling Dillon's gaze spend several long moments taking in the sight of his bare torso. He coughed slightly, crossing his arms over his chest and feeling a blush work its way up his neck when Dillon looked up at him. Dillon's eyes were dark and wild, almost predatory in the way Dillon was looking at him. Ziggy really wouldn't have been surprised if Dillon had thrown him back against the desk and continued to ravage him at any moment. "I told you earlier." He whispered, coughing again when he realized his own voice was a few octaves lower than it should have been. "The bond wants to be completed."

Dillon stared at him for a long moment like he was trying to remember when Ziggy had said that. "What?" he asked. Ziggy watched him for a moment, unsure how to explain. Dillon stared back. "Magic… registers us as two halves of a whole." Ziggy said. "And we're not complete because the bond's not complete. The bond doesn't care what we're going through. It just knows it's not completed and it should be so it's trying to…"

"Make us have sex." Dillon said bluntly, a little frustrated. Ziggy winced slightly and flushed at the straightforward words but nodded. "Great." Dillon drawled out sarcastically.

"Could be worse." Ziggy said, trying to lighten the air. "Could be teenagers like last time. Add hormones to the mix."

Dillon snorted, giving him a considering look. For a long moment, nobody said anything. Then Dillon walked closer to him, tilting his head up and gazing at him carefully. "You look exhausted." Dillon whispered, sounding concerned. "You should sleep."

"I don't want to leave you alone." Dillon kept staring at him for a long moment then carefully pulled him off the desk and into his arms. Ziggy leaned against him, sighing softly in contentment. Dillon pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. "You need to sleep. I have magic and mechanics to keep me awake. You don't." Dillon told him quietly. Ziggy blinked when he was easily maneuvered around and found himself bouncing back on Dillon's bed. He started to sit up. "Dillon…"

Dillon pushed him back, kissing his head again. "Sleep, Zig. Sleep." He whispered. Ziggy felt Dillon's magic wrap around him, urging him to sleep. He blinked dazedly up at the older man as he collapsed back on the bed, feeling the spell sink into every limb of his body and force him to relax. "Dil…" he trailed off and fell asleep, unable to stay awake without his own magic.

-0-0-

When Ziggy woke up, he was once again alone. He sat up slowly and looked carefully around Dillon's darkened room, finding no sign of the older man. He stood up slowly and looked around for his shirt, finding it next to the desk. He tugged it on quickly and called out for Dillon. He didn't get any answer. He sighed softly and reached out down the bond. And found nothing but a blank emptiness. His eyes widened at the darkness that was obscuring Dillon's mind. _;Dillon?;_ He called louder, worried now.

The alarms went off at the same moment he registered the black poison of the virus pushing at the edge of the bond and coating the whole of Dillon's mind. His breath shuddered out of him in realization. "No."


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other recognizable media. Thank you.**

I am sorry for the incredibly long delay. I had this dreaded thing called school to deal with. **  
**

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 11

Ziggy tore out of Dillon's room, trying to use the bond to track Dillon. It wasn't easy, or safe, not with the virus controlling Dillon but he could tell the older man was close. He found the other Rangers, still in sleepwear, walking tiredly out of their rooms. Scott was grumbling to himself, rubbing at one eye as he descended the stairs. The Red Ranger looked at him in confusion as he ran past; obviously surprised that he was so energetic this early in the morning. "Hey, wow. Wha's going on?" Scott asked, grabbing his arm.

"It's Dillon." He told them, watching as they all paled. A chill swept through the group and he thought he briefly saw Summer mouthing what looked liked _oh please god no _next to Scott. Scott's grip on his arm slackened and he pulled free, continuing down the stairway quickly. He hit the ground floor running and was half-way to the lab when a scream tore through the building. It was enough to jerk the others from their frozen state and they immediately followed his mad dash into the lab.

Ziggy skidded to a halt, looking around wildly. He found Dillon standing in the corner, standing menacingly over K, who was huddled against the wall. He didn't think before he lashed out with his mind, striking against the thick blackness in Dillon's head as hard as he could. _;__**Dillon!**__;_

The older man turned to him, his eyes like black glass. At the same time, the virus started to edge down the link. "K, run!" He shouted just before too many things started to happen all at once.

K moved quickly from her place by the wall to huddle behind her chair, as if that would really provide her protection.

The rest of the Rangers ran into the lab before throwing themselves at Dillon.

Dillon, guided by the virus, lunged towards him with the clear intent of strangling him.

The virus copied him and slammed down the mental link hard enough to make the whole world go dark for a minute.

He shook his head until his vision cleared and found himself collapsed on the floor, his head pounding from the mental assault. Quickly, he slammed a barrier up between them, the hardest he could make with so little time. The virus didn't let up, continuing to slam against the walls. They would hold for maybe another minute before they started to splinter. The bond was too strong to weaken when there were shields up now.

Every time he tried to stand, to help the others restrain Dillon, he found his knees buckling, his body collapsing under the strain of keeping Venjix out of his mind. Finally, he didn't bother getting back up, remaining collapsed on the ground with one hand clasped against his head as he waited for the room to stop spinning. The virus, he realized as he watched Dillon tear into the rest of the team but not even approach his prone form, thought it could control him like it controlled Dillon if it could just break past his barriers. Ziggy wondered if it _could_ take control of him. Then he realized it didn't matter if it could. If it got past the shield, it could tear apart his mind.

But his mind, despite the pain as the shield slowly splintered, seemed stuck on the idea of it controlling him. If the virus took control of him, then it would have him, Dillon, … and Tenaya. All three of them. Together. Like Tenaya had wished.

Horror rose through him, making his throat close despite his wish to be suddenly, violently, and thoroughly sick.

No. That's not how the deal was supposed to work. Tenaya had wished them together, yes, but Dillon had wished them safe.

But not free. None of them had wished themselves free. Together, safe, and a chance for others. Those had been their wishes. But not free. If he survived this intact, he was going to kill that Witch for playing with them.

The barrier in his mind fell in one last attack. Every muscle in his body went tense just before a loud crash echoed through the room. His head snapped up, his heart frozen with dread as he waited mentally for the virus to lash out again, and found Dillon had been thrown roughly onto one of the tables K had situated around the rooms. The force of the impact had turned the attention of the virus fully back to the others. The pain had jolted across Dillon's mind and ripped a slight hole in the virus' control.

No time, he thought. There was no time to do everything before the virus regained complete control. There wouldn't be a second chance. No matter what the Rangers threw at the body, the shocking jolt of pain wouldn't have the same effect.

So he didn't take the time to rebuild a shield, to defend himself. He threw heart, mind, and _soul_ down the link and slammed into the poison blackness with the hope it would be enough. Dillon's body jerked when it tried to get up and crashed back down. The head lifted, expression dark with a snarl in his direction. But for the first time since he'd woken up, he felt Dillon's presence along the bond.

But it wasn't enough.

He could already feel that presence fading back into the blackness. Dillon didn't seem aware of what was going on. Otherwise he would have fought, would have taken that small ground and run with it. Well, looked like he was going to have to rip that blissful ignorance away.

Ziggy pushed himself to his feet, ignoring how every tensed muscle screamed at the sudden action, how the world swarm and his head filled with cotton, and how the virus was preparing a second assault on his mind. No time to build another shield, no time to do anything but get to Dillon and make the bond strong enough so that the virus couldn't stop Dillon from feeling Ziggy's pain. That would be enough to awake him up. All or nothing. Dillon woke up and fought back mentally or they both went down.

In his mad dash, his reckless ignorance of everything but that small flicker of life in the bond, he forgot to pay attention to what the virus was making Dillon's body do. By the time he did, it was too late.

Pain exploded across his stomach before spreading up, down, everywhere in fiery bursts. He gasped sharply, blood pouring into his mouth and coating his tongue in copper. Automatically, his hands came up and wrapped tightly in the clothe of Dillon's shirt. Slowly, his eyes drifted down to his stomach where the pain had started, although now everything was a wall of pain. His mind reeled and then fiercely denied what he saw. He made a weak sound of pain and raised his head once more to stare at Dillon. The virus stared back at him through Dillon's eyes. Not his lovely, strangely gentle, oddly affectionate Dillon, the man he had loved since forever.

The virus had forced Dillon's body to smash one of the legs of the table he'd overturned in his fall off, leaving one end of it pointed and sharp. And now buried several inches into his stomach.

The bond would prevent them from hurting each other. But only to a certain extent.

The virus stepped back, pulling the metal rod with it. A sharp cry slipped past his lips when the rod slid free and he collapsed to his knees, hands holding across the wound. Blood slipped between his fingers, coating his hands. Everything was starting to feel a little numb. It didn't even really hurt anymore. The room started to tilt strangely, edges blurring together, shapes turning into colored blubs.

The metal pipe came down again, slamming against his head and sending him sprawling across the floor. The whole world started to go black.

_;Dillon…;_

The room flew into chaos as Dillon came to an abrupt halt then collapsed next to him.

-0-0-

Dillon came to a few seconds later. For a long, blessed moment, he didn't remember what had happened. It really was a wonderful moment. For a moment, he didn't have to worry about Ziggy or the virus or Tenaya. He didn't have to worry about the bond or hurting his friends. For one moment, everything was all right.

It only lasted a moment.

Then, he remembered everything. He could remember climbing into bed with Ziggy earlier, holding the younger man to his chest tightly, afraid to let go, afraid of everything he could do to hurt him. He could remember fighting the sleep creeping up on him before finally giving in and joining Ziggy in sleep. He could remember feeling, when he was too deep asleep to do anything about it, the virus taking over. What had happened after was a bit fuzzier and he was almost glad for it but he could remember Ziggy's presence suddenly slamming down the bond, warm and bright and calling him home. He wanted to follow but he'd been too deep in the darkness and had forgotten how to leave.

Then Ziggy's voice had called along the bond, quiet and pained and sounding to much like he was saying goodbye to be ignored. Ziggy leaving him was the last thing he could allow. He wouldn't be able to handle it.

How he'd managed to beat the virus back he wasn't quite sure yet but it didn't matter. He could figure it out later. Because right now… right now, Ziggy was hurt!

He shot up at that, looking around the lab wildly. Several of the Rangers who had been approaching to check on him jumped back in surprise. He scanned them quickly, relieved to find that none of them had an injury that wouldn't heal with time. Then he looked down next to him and all that relief vanished when he saw Ziggy lying on the ground.

There was blood everywhere.

Ziggy lay next to him, eyelids fluttering and breathing ragged. Every trembling breath shuttered through his chest, forcing more blood from the jagged hole in his stomach. His shirt, once bright green, was now a rusty brown, drenched in layers of blood. And, growing just quickly enough to be noticeable, was a small pool of blood, a wicked, vivid red against the once pristine floor.

He remained frozen where he was, trapped by the frozen horror slipping through him. He couldn't move, no matter how much he wanted to. Everything in him was screaming at him to do something to save Ziggy but he couldn't bring himself to move.

"Dillon?" Summer called, sounding unsure.

That broke him out of his daze. "No…" In seconds, he was moving again, rushing to Ziggy's side to press both hands against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Hysteria was creeping through him, building as drops of blood continued to slip between his fingers. "No, no, no, no, no, no…" he breathed, eyes starting to burn with tears. "Stop, stop, stop." He pleaded, no longer able to think straight. He looked up at the other rangers gathered around him, watching him as if they were unsure if this was all an act or if it really was him. "Somebody help me!" he shouted.

K darted from her place against the wall to Ziggy's side, gently moving his hands out of the way so she could assess the damage, all the while ranting off orders to the rangers frozen around the room. The lab cleared quickly as the others raced to fulfill their orders. K looked across at him, eyes scanning his face for something. "It's going to be alright." She whispered kindly. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to believe her.

He carefully brought one trembling hand up to frame Ziggy's face, accidentally smearing blood over his cheek. "Ziggy, love, can you hear me?" he breathed, trembling slightly. A whimper of pain slipped past Ziggy's lips but, other than that, he got no response. He tried the bond this time but found it shaky, slipping in and out of existence, fading along with Ziggy. It was going to break.

The first tear fell, splashing against Ziggy's cheek as Summer raced back into the room, carrying what looked like the whole medical cabinet. She kneeled down next to them, losing what little color she still had when Ziggy's blood soaked into the knees of her jeans. "I uh, I brought… everything." She whispered, eyes wide and pale brown and suddenly haunted. She looked like she was struggling not to throw up. "Shouldn't we get him off the floor?"

"Moving him now could kill him." K said, making Dillon and Summer pale even further. Ignoring the two, K tore through the wrapping on several bandages and pressed them against the wound as hard as she could. Ziggy didn't react at all to the sudden, intense pressure. That couldn't be good. "Hang on, Ziggy." She breathed, glancing up at his face. He was practically blue from blood loss, the only sign of color being the blood across his cheek.

He was barely breathing now, his chest barely rising beneath her hands. K bit her lip, unsure what to do. She wasn't a medical doctor, she didn't know what to do with wounds like this. She was going to lose one of her Rangers. No, she thought, glancing over at Dillon, she was going to lose two. Dillon didn't even seem to notice them anymore, clutching at Ziggy's hand tightly as tears slowly slipped down his cheeks, rocking back and forth slightly.

She glanced over her shoulder, slightly relieved to see Scott once again standing at the door to the lab. He met her gaze and nodded slightly, confirming that he'd managed to get his father to send an ambulance headed here, despite the late hours. Once she'd gotten that assurance, she turned back to Ziggy, ignoring the other Rangers as they once again reentered, having finished whatever task she'd assigned them.

Dillon was focused completely on the bond, trying his best to keep it together. He could feel it splintering, fraying around the edges, threatening to fall apart and leave him alone again. He couldn't handle being alone again; not now when he was finally starting to love having Ziggy's constant presence in his head. Ziggy couldn't leave him now!

The world shifted sideways suddenly, went grey and silent. He couldn't breathe, was frozen solid, a cold ball of dread settling tight in his stomach. A dark, empty loneliness slipped over him, covering up the parts of him that Ziggy had slipped into and filled.

The bond shattered.

Quite suddenly, Dillon sat back fully, dropping Ziggy's hand. His eyes suddenly looked far too dead. "Dillon?" Summer asked, tensed and ready to knock him away if the virus had taken over again. He didn't respond, simply staring at Ziggy with those dead eyes.

Ziggy wasn't breathing. Feeling nauseous herself now, K slowly pulled her hands off Ziggy's chest, only too aware of how, seconds before, she'd just been able to make the weak beating of Ziggy's heart, and made herself say, "He's gone." Her voice sounded overly loud and cruel in the thick silence of the room, making the others flinch.

Summer looked over at her, eyes over bright and hysterical. "He can't be dead." She said and it hurt her heart to hear how broken she sounded. "We still need to talk." Summer continued. "There's so much we still have to set straight. He can't be dead!" Summer collapsed into herself, tears pouring down her cheeks, after that announcement.

"This is my fault."

K looked up at the whisper and found Dillon staring down at his hands. Ziggy's blood colored every inch of his palms. "I did this. I killed him." He continued, slowly looking up at them with hollow eyes. "My other half." The last part was whispered breathlessly, not meant for them. His gaze shifted and focused solely on Summer. "How can you handle it?"

"Handle what?"

"Being so alone?"

The room went silent at that. Everyone watched Dillon with broken eyes, unsure how exactly to respond to that. Dillon didn't seem to want one, instead turning back to staring at Ziggy. With slow movements and shaking hands, Dillon slowly reached up and pulled a necklace over his head. A single key to Dillon's watch hung from it. Summer glanced at Dillon's neck quickly, confused as to when Dillon had taken to wearing them on separate chains. Then she forced herself to slow down and count again. It remained the same. Two keys still hung from a single chain around Dillon's neck.

When had there been three keys?

Ignoring all of them, Dillon carefully slipped the key around Ziggy's neck before pressing a kiss to his temple. He whispered something against his skin, too soft for the rest of them to make out. He started to pull back, a few more tears slipping down his cheeks.

The key started to glow a bright white light around Ziggy's neck.

Something suddenly pushed them around from Ziggy, sending her and Summer skidding across the ground. Dillon remained untouched, sitting next to Ziggy. A circle of runes spread across the floor underneath the two, glowing like a kaleidoscope. It lasted only seconds.

Dillon kept his eyes jammed closed as the light flashed around him. Magic whiplashed through him, tearing him apart and rebuilding him in seconds, all before his own magic had a chance to respond to the intrusion. Then quite suddenly, it was gone.

The bond flared back to life.

He glanced down at the boy next to him, barely believing what he was seeing as Ziggy's eyes slowly slipped open. They stared at each other for a moment, disbelief echoing loudly through the bond.

"Ow." Ziggy whispered dully, blinking in surprise.

A laugh bubbled its way up his throat and he let it lose, suddenly giddy and feeling impossibly alive. He tugged Ziggy up into his arms, crushing him to his chest hard enough to bruise, rejoicing in the warmth that radiated from Ziggy's body. Ziggy's shirt was rough and stiff with blood, still wet in more than one place, but his eyes were clear of pain.

Ziggy pressed their foreheads together, meshing their bangs, and laughing almost hysterically. "Hi." He whispered and it was stupid, and not enough, and nothing ever sounded more fitting. Dillon reached out for Ziggy's hand, twined their fingers together, and, before the whole already shocked team, let the bond flare up around their hands, warm and bright.

"You're alright." He breathed then couldn't say anything more than that. He felt too full for words. Ziggy nodded minutely, his smile splitting, and pressed the softest, sweetest kiss to his lips in reassurance.

Then the moment broke when Scott stepped forward and asked with a remarkable level of calm. "What the hell is going on?"

-0-0-

A hour and a half later, they all sat in the living room. Dillon and Ziggy sat opposite the rest of the team, Ziggy laying in Dillon's lap while the older man played with his curls. They had cleaned up and gotten redressed so they weren't covered in blood before getting a very thorough examine from Doctor K, who had frequently made confused noises. Ziggy no longer had a scratch on him, coming out of it completely uninjured.

Dillon was a different story. He was scratched and bruised in several places though had no serious injuries. The virus was still there. It just wasn't… in control like it should be. K seemed completely baffled by it, unable to find any reason why Dillon shouldn't still be controlled. He just wasn't.

The Colonel had been called again and the ambulance called off. The man wanted a complete explanation but considering half the team didn't even have one yet, he'd agreed to back off and let them handle it. At least until lunch.

"I honestly don't know where to begin." Scott said, hands clasped in front of him. "The fact that Dillon's in control, or that you're even still _alive_… or …that." Scott finished, nodding his head at where their hands were still intertwined and glowing brightly.

The two glanced at each other before Ziggy sat up fully. Then they told them everything. Or at least as much as Dillon already knew himself.

By the time they were finished, everyone was watching them in shock. "You've known him," Scott asked Ziggy, pointing at Dillon, "since you were kids?" When Ziggy nodded, he continued. "Why didn't you say anything? That would have solved so many problems right from the beginning! Like Kenmore! Couldn't you have said Kenmore was a lie?"

"I didn't know it was." Ziggy said softly. "We separated two months before Venjix attacked. I have no idea where he went during those months."

When Scott looked ready to continue yelling, Dillon glared at him. "Scott, let it go." He hissed. "It doesn't matter anymore."

Ziggy sighed softly, relaxing against him with a small smile. Scott watched them for a minute then said. "That doesn't explain the first two parts."

"The keys are enchanted to do… something. I don't know what. I didn't do the enchanting. The virus is sort of caught in a shield in Dillon's mind. Kinda." Ziggy said. Everyone, including Dillon, gave him weird looks. Sighing, Ziggy explained. "Please don't ask me about the keys. I really can't explain it yet. As for the shield, the Kane family has always specialized in defense. Dillon probably did… something instinctively from training. Or the virus activated a trap in his mind. The Kanes are kind of famous for tricks like that."

"Really?" Scott asked, sounding skeptical. Ziggy just nodded. "If I had my magic, I'd be able to explain it better. But I don't. So deal."

Dillon snorted slightly in amusement, earning himself a quick whack across the shoulder.

"Can we finish this in the morning?" Summer asked. She looked pale and sad, eyes now dark with emotion. Through the whole meeting, she hadn't taken her eyes off of their hands. "I really think I need to lay down."

Scott nodded. "Yeah. In the morning." He agreed, suddenly looking very tired. "I'm gonna have nightmares." He muttered to himself, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes. Slowly, they trugged back to their rooms, eyes ringed in shadows and, despite the miracle that had saved Ziggy, heavy hearts.

And after everything, it seemed only natural that Dillon pulled Ziggy into his own room.

-0-0-

Dillon slowly combed his hand through Ziggy's curls, enjoying the pleased sigh that slipped past Ziggy's lips. Ziggy hummed softly, looking up at him. "You're supposed to be sleeping." he breathed. Dillon shrugged. "I couldn't fall asleep."

Ziggy propped himself up on one elbow. "Me neither." he whispered, eyes soft and warm. He leaned forward slowly, pressing a gentle kiss to Dillon's lips. He was pushed back against the bed, Dillon moving to hover over him. The older man watched him with dark eyes lips slightly open as if he wanted to say something. Ziggy smiled softly and pressed his hand against Dillon's cheek, warmth blooming through him when Dillon turned into the soft caress.

"Ziggy..." Dillon breathed, soft and unsure.

"Hm?"

There was a moment's pause before Dillon swooped down and kissed him, rougher, more desperate than before. He pulled back after a long moment and looked at him with sincere, if troubled, eyes. "Let me make love to you." he breathed.

Ziggy's breath caught, eyes going wide as the words registered. He sat up, pushing Dillon up with him and framed Dillon's face with his hands before giving him a long and very thorough kiss. "Gods, please yes." he whispered when they pulled apart.

A warm smile slipped across Dillon's face as his hands found the edges of his shirt and pulled it slowly over his head. Ziggy let himself fall back against the bed, moaning softly when Dillon's hands slowly trailed over his chest. Heat slowly spread through out his body, chasing away the last shadows of death as Dillon slowly teased his body back to life. Muffled sounds of pleasure whispered throughout the room as more and more of their clothing found its way to the floor.

Ziggy arched up, moaning over loudly, when Dillon slowly sucked a nipple into his mouth. Then he immediately jerked his hand away from Dillon's when he went to grasp it. Dillon paused and pulled away, looking up at him with confusion. Ziggy gave a dazed smile. "The bond will activate. It'll make us rush." he explained. "I don't want to rush."

Dillon returned his smile, his containing a predatory edge and full of lust. He moved the hand that had been reaching for Ziggy's and placed it over Ziggy's head before he continued his exploration of Ziggy's body. By the time he was done, Ziggy was crying softly, begging him to _please Dillon, do it. Just fuck me Dillon._ How was he supposed to say no to that?

Ziggy hissed as Dillon finally slid home, pain searing across his senses for a too long moment. Then the bond flared up, taking over and chasing away the pain until all Ziggy could focus on was how finally, _finally_, he was complete again.

Dillon rocked against him, within him, breath hot against his neck where Dillon had rested his head. Dillon's arms encircled his waist, helping him to meet every thrust as Ziggy's hands clawed down Dillon's back, searching for a purchase and sure to leave red marks. Dillon shifted suddenly, changing angles, and slammed against that spot inside him that chased lights across his eyes. He threw his head back, a soft cry escaping his lips as the pleasure surged through him, raced down the link, and shattered every mental wall between him and Dillon. There really was no going slow after that.

They chased each other to the end, their hands now clutching together despite their earlier separation. The bond grew stronger with every thrust, every spark of pleasure tying them further together. They sunk into each other, minds as well as bodies, the edges of individuality blurring. Emotions, thoughts, memories, minds; all of it tumbled together and around and between them. They were each other and themselves, both Dillon and Ziggy all at once. It was incredible and brilliant.

And when they came, pleasure soaring through them, heady and rich and addicting, they were one person, the same person, DillonandZiggy, and trying to separate was impossible now. For a few seconds, as they hung at the top in ecstasy, Dillon saw his whole life through Ziggy's eyes -the joy and giddy happiness, the pain, the wounds, the emotional scars, the separation- and Ziggy knew everything Dillon had gone through-saw the hesitation and fear, the growing trust, the acceptance, the betrayal, the heart-tearing emptiness-. The bond flared bright around their hands, chasing every shadow in the room away.

Then they slowly slipped back into themselves, once again two people instead of one. The memories slipped and faded from Dillon's mind, leaving behind emotion attached to scenes of gray and black. The light dimmed into a bare glimmer around their hands as their breathing slowly settled and thoughts could once again be formed. Dillon drew back slowly, staring down at Ziggy's dazed expression with warm eyes. He pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, felt Ziggy smile softly into it.

Both spoke, or maybe neither did, but the words were heard by both and understood and accepted with a soul deep intensity.

"I love you."


	13. Chapter 12

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 12

Venjix was not pleased. It had had the Black Ranger in its grasp, firmly within its control for so long. Its domination over the Rangers should have been assured. Yet somehow, the Ranger had slipped through its fingers. The machine turned its violent attention towards its top general. "It would seem Ranger Black does not wish to join his sister. Tenaya 15, find out what has happened to the poor boy." The tone of malice undermines the gentle words.

"Yes master." Tenaya said, ignoring the shift of discomfort in her chest. A mechanical error. It could be fixed when she returned. She bowed deeply before exiting to complete the assignment given to her. She was barely out of the room when the slight pain in her chest exploded outwards, flooding liquid fire through her veins. She crumbled to the floor, panting as one hand fisted in the clothe over her chest. With the force of a 2 by 4 to the head, images slammed into her mind, playing out behind her eyelids.

_A blade gleamed in darkness, fierce and almost malevolent, calling its master to war._

"_That's not home!"_

_A key rested in a palm, speaking of something long forgot. _

"_There's someone I'd like you to meet."_

_A dark doorway, leading to madness and despair._

"_I disown this family."_

Tenaya tore herself from the illusion, trembling minutely. Slowly, she forced herself to her feet and shook the echo of the familiar voice out of her head. It was a long process, but eventually, she managed to stop shaking and walk steadily. She had a mission to complete. Her programming wouldn't let her do otherwise.

-0-0-

Ziggy woke up to Dillon's fingers travelling across his chest. He smiled slightly and eventually forced his eyes open. Dillon met his gaze with warm brown eyes; his contentment hummed in the back of Ziggy's mind, a constant living presence that he'd never be rid of now. Ziggy had never been happier.

"Hey you." He breathed. Dillon returned the greeting, pressing a gentle kiss against his forehead.

Dillon was dressed, Ziggy realized with a start. When had that happened? How hadn't he noticed Dillon getting up? "How long have you been up" he asked.

"A while." Dillon replied, going back to rubbing circles into his skin. Deciding to let it go, Ziggy smiled and stretched, enjoying the appreciative way Dillon eyed the arch of his body. "You've slept through the morning. Considering you're recent stabbing, everyone decided to just let you sleep." Dillon informed him quietly, kissing his shoulder.

"Thanks." He said. He reached upward and poked Dillon in the shoulder. "Find me some clothes. I'm hungry." He ordered, but there was no bite in his words.

Dillon raised an eyebrow before chuckling and sitting up. "So _this _is how it's going to be, huh? I'm your slave now, is that it?" He asked, a glint of dark humor in his eyes that had once warned Ziggy of Dillon's next intentions. Ziggy put on a haughty expression, ignoring the look in Dillon's eyes. "Of course. Didn't you read the fine print?"

A slow smirk slipped across the older man's face. "Guess I should pay more attention." He breathed, just before his hands fell against Ziggy's side, quick and skittish. Ziggy immediately burst into peals of laughter, trying to squirm away from Dillon's questing fingers. Ziggy's shoes went tumbling across the room in a pulse of magic that neither noticed.

Eventually, Dillon pulled his hands back, letting Ziggy collapse back against the mattress. Dillon grinned broadly as Ziggy curled up into a ball to hide his sides, laughing breathlessly, cheeks a warm glow. "Should I carry you down the stairs as well princess?" he asked, voice lined with amusement.

Ziggy paused, trying to breathe deeply before replying. "I'm not that sore."

Dillon's smile turned wicked as he leaned down to brush his lips against Ziggy's. The younger man was abruptly aware of how very naked he was. "I'm sure I can change that."

Ziggy grinned and reached up past his head, fingers brushing the edge of the pillow he'd been resting on. "That sounds lovely." He agreed, before swinging the pillow around and smacking Dillon in the face with it. "But you obviously don't know me as well as you think you do, despite being in my head. I'd rather have coffee."

Dillon paused, an odd look coming over his face. "It's always been the coffee, hasn't it?" he asked slowly. It was true; Ziggy could remember having this same conversation with Dillon all the time, in and out of bed. He didn't mention it though, instead giving his lover a smile that was all teeth. "Always."

The older man snorted and finally got up, grabbing Ziggy's clothes from where he folded them on top of the desk. "I had that talk with Summer you've been wanting." He said, throwing the clothes to him.

Ziggy blinked in surprise as he pulled on his shirt. "Really? What happened?"

Dillon sighed, the honest bemusement on his face nearly making Ziggy laugh. "I really don't understand her." He said. The look on his face was the same look every male had when he finally realized women really were a different species. Ziggy snorted and stood up to pull on his pants. "Dillon, honey, you've got a cock." Ziggy said with fond amusement. "You're _never_ going to understand her."

"It's not the fact that we're together that's bothering her. She's gotten over that… I think. It's the fact that we're _bonded_ that she's moping about…. I'm not sure how that makes I difference." Ziggy couldn't stop the soft snicker that slipped out of his throat at the look Dillon gave him.

"There's a difference between losing a guy to someone and never having a fighting chance." Ziggy told him. When Dillon continued to look at him, he said. "I've talked to her. She's not a big fan of the doomed from the start kind of love. She's just annoyed that that's what happened to her."

"I'm pretty sure it's more complicated than that."

"Oh definitely. But you wanted to know what the difference was. I told you." Ziggy said, cheeky grin in place. Dillon glared without any real heat.

Laughing, Ziggy held his hands out to his sides. "Do I look presentable?" Ziggy asked, amused.

Dillon gave him a once over, then nodded. "Your hair's a mess though." He said.

"When isn't it?" Ziggy asked but ran a quick hand through his hair anyway. He blinked when he pulled his hand away and found little red specks buried under his fingernails. That was his blood, wasn't it? He felt suddenly nauseous. "I need a shower first." He said.

Dillon was looking at him worriedly but agreed without asking. "Come on." He said, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

As they left the room, the previously-flung pillow danced back onto the bed and the blankets made themselves.

-0-0-

"You look moody." Scott said as he sat down across from Summer in the kitchen. "Are you having a mood?" He didn't know what had been said when Dillon and Summer had their Talk, Summer had come out of it… odd. She'd been switching moods all afternoon, leaving most of the Garage confused.

Summer paused in cutting the vegetables. "I might be." She said.

"You might be." Scott repeated slowly. "That… this is a woman thing, isn't it?" he said, frowning.

That, at least, made her laugh a little. "I'm just… a bit of a mess. I'm happy that Dillon and Ziggy have pretty much found their soul mates; however, I'm sad and a little bitter I didn't get the guy. I'm annoyed no one bothered telling me Dillon was already involved in an epic love story before a fell for the guy as well."

Scott watched her for a minute than smiled. "Don't worry. With the way our lives are going, I'm pretty sure your epic love story is going to involve ninjas." Summer offered him a dazzling smile in return.

Scott turned when he heard feet descending the stairs and watched as Dillon headed towards them. "I thought I heard Ziggy laugh. He up?" Dillon nodded and sat down next to him. "He's in the shower." He said.

"He doing alright?"

Dillon snorted but there was love in his eyes. "Well enough to make sure I understand I'm to be his slave for the rest of our lives."

They all laughed, Summer a bit more weakly than the men, making Dillon turn towards her carefully. "You okay?" he asked hesitantly. Summer regarded him tensely for a minute before giving him a winning smile. "You can keep your magic. _My _epic love story is going to involve ninjas."

Despite the look of non-understanding on his face, something in Dillon eased enough for him to give her a boyish smile. "Of course it will. You'll kick his ass." Summer's smile turned into something sweet and still a little in love in response.

"Where are the others?" Dillon asked after a moment of silence.

"K is in the lab and Flynn took the twins out." Scott said. Dillon snorted, a good natured smirk on his face. "I hope the town survives."

It only took a second but the smile on Dillon's face immediately dropped away, every muscle going tense as his eyes swung up to the second floor. His gaze turned distant, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Ziggy?" he breathed quietly. There was a moment's pause before Dillon relaxed and nodded to himself. "Alright."

"Are you going to be doing that a lot?" Summer asked, making Dillon turn to her in confusion. "Dazing out like that?"

"It's…" he paused and eyed the knife still in Summer's hand. "Yes." He said instead, making Scott blink in confusion.

"Everything okay?" Scott asked, deciding he wasn't going to ask about that little exchange. Dillon nodded, but his eyes said he was lying. "You sure?" he asked. Dillon nodded again, tense. Scott sighed in irritation but didn't ask again.

A few minutes later, Ziggy appeared, hair still wet from the shower. There was a care-free smile on his face but the skin around his eyes was tight and he looked even paler than usual. "How are you doing?" Scott asked. Ziggy turned a too-wide smile in his direction. "I'm feeling just fine." He said. Scott had to admit that at least Ziggy could lie better than Dillon. Ziggy paused then and sniffed before swinging wide eyes towards Summer. "Is that omelets?" he asked.

Summer smiled at him over her shoulder. "Grab a plate." She said, nodding towards the cabinet.

Ziggy had made barely two steps towards it when it opened and a plate moved calmly through the air to land on the table in front of the empty seat next to Dillon. The whole group paused for a long moment. "Dillon…?" Scott asked uncertainly.

"That wasn't me." Dillon said, shaking his head and pointing at the plate. Ziggy slowly slipped into the seat next to him. "No." the younger man agreed slowly. "That was me."

"I thought you couldn't use your magic." Dillon said, staring at the younger man. Ziggy raised his hands in a shrug, making a sound of confusion in the back of his throat.

"Could it have been that?" Summer asked, pointing to the key that now hung freely around Ziggy's neck.

Ziggy was already shaking his head. "I'd agree expect that wasn't my…" he paused then, an annoyed look crossing his face. "My thing that I can't tell you about." He snarled.

"What if Dillon left the room?" Summer suggested. Ziggy shook his head, making her frown. "Why not?" she asked.

"Because," Dillon said. "There's no way you wouldn't tell me after."

"You seem remarkably accepting about all this." Scott noticed, making Dillon raise his hands in the same shrug Ziggy had done. "I've been promised I'll get my memories back eventually." He told them, then continued when the two kept staring at him. "It's magic, I'm going with it."

Why can't you just tell him?" Summer finally asked, waving her hands at the two of them.

"If I do that, then the whole fucking thing becomes pointless." Ziggy said, giving her a bland look. "And I have gone through too much shit by this point to ruin it all."

"Well, we need to figure something out. My dad's coming in an hour to find out what happened last night. Somehow I doubt '_Dillon lost to the virus, killed Ziggy, activated a magical item to bring him back to life, then confessed his undying love' _is going to cut it."

"We could always try it." Dillon said, completely deadpan. Ziggy's amusement rolled in through the back of his head, betraying his blank expression.

"My dad would probably arrest you, at best. He might have you shot."

All of Ziggy's amusement vanished, replaced by an odd, roiling darkness that felt familiar in a vague sense; something shifts in him, falls into place as if its natural, as if something has been fundamentally wrong without it. Dillon decided he was going to be having a very long talk with . "I have no idea why, but my magic is back." Ziggy said, and the serious blankness of his voice was not meant to be joking as Dillon's had. "Anyone touches my family again, I'm splattering them all over the walls." Ziggy paused and tilted his head to the side. "I mean that very literally."

Scott suddenly looked very pale. "Can you do that?" he asked, sounding a little sick. Judging from the emotions running through Ziggy's head, Dillon would say he could and would. Before Ziggy could confirm to Scott what Dillon already knew, the alarms blared. Ziggy groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "You have got to be kidding me. We don't get a single break do we?"

Dillon snorted as Scott quickly reminded Summer to shut off the stove. "This is us you're referring to right?" Dillon asked sarcastically. Ziggy scowled at him as they moved towards the car.

-0-0-

**Several Hours Later**

Dillon woke up slowly, slowly raising a hand to press against head. _;Ziggy?;_

Ziggy's face immediately appeared in his line of vision; the rush of relief that flooded the bond would have sent Dillon to his knees if he'd been standing. Ziggy's hands fell on his face. _;Are you alright?; _ Ziggy asked, eyes shocked pale and skin slowly regaining color. He nodded, one hand searching for Ziggy's. Ziggy immediately caught his hand, the soft warmth of the bond blooming across his mind.

"You alright over there?" Scott's voice called him from another corner of the room. It was then that Dillon realized he was laying on the exam table in the lab. He sat up with a quiet groan, immediately regretting it when his head protested the movement violently. Ziggy made a distressed keening sound next to him, eyes reflecting the pain pounding through his skull and carefully slipped a hand into his hair. There was a brief spike of pain at the pressure before the bond soothed the pain away.

"I've learned something today." Ziggy told him under his breath, for his ears alone. "Bond healing doesn't work so well when one of us is unconscious."

"What happened?" he asked, "Why don't I remember shit?"

Scott blinked at him, eyes almost amused, causing something in him to relax. "Apparently, your sister has one hell of an arm. You learned that rather well when she knocked you out with a two-by-four."

_;There's something else.;_ Ziggy informed him. _;She took her key.;_ Dillon's hand immediately flew to her neck but found only the key he had originally had when he appeared in Corinth. _;I… think this might be a good thing.;_ Ziggy continued, _;If her magic is at the point where it's interfering with the mechanics and causing her problems, and every key is enchanted, it might help her.;_

Dillon sighed heavily and scrubbed his hands down his face. "Tomorrow, you are going to sit down and tell me everything you know about those damn keys." He decided, his patience for answers disappearing now that Tenaya's fate potentially hung upon those keys. Ziggy's smile looked a little weak around the edges in response.

-0-0-

Tenaya looked around carefully before pulling the key from where she'd hidden it within her bra. She was unsure why she had taken it. However, when she had knocked down the Black Ranger out and the two keys had fallen into view, she had been unable to ignore it. It had called her in a way she could not ignore. So she had taken it.

She turned it over in her hands several times, examining it from every angle to identify where she had been unable to walk away from it as her programming had demanded. However, the spark of discomfort was back in her chest and growing rapidly. She dropped to her knees once again, curling her hand around the key tightly. As the discomfort became pain, the key started to burn hot in her palm.

Just as the images started to overtake her, the key flared with power.


	14. Chapter 13

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 13

Dillon carefully dropped his watch in Ziggy's hands, curling his lover's fingers around the precious object. Meeting Ziggy's eyes, he asked carefully "What is it?"

Ziggy sighed, blowing air irritably through his bangs as he thought. "It's a Kane family heirloom. It's always given to the Heir after he passes the Trials." Ziggy told him calmly, not moving his gaze from Dillon's to look around the rest of the room. The rest of the team was gathered around them on the couches for whatever tiny explanation Ziggy could give. "It was created a long time ago, a very long time ago. When the Kane and Grover families first formed a truce, I think."

"What can it do?"

"Nothing overly major. If I knew how to make a watch, I could recreate in a day, maybe two. As far as I'm aware, it mostly works to amplify defensive magics; which is probably why your mental defenses locked out the virus when Tenaya's didn't. It's mostly a status symbol for the Heir."

"The keys?"

"The keys are just pieces of metal. Or at least they were. A witch outside the family enchanted them before the war. I wasn't there when it happened so I don't know how."

Dillon hung his head, sighing softly. "Could whatever this… witch did to the keys save Tenaya?"

Ziggy frowned briefly. "Yeah, I guess. Like I said, the spells on your watch aren't that hard to recreate. It would be a bit tricky though; the key's much smaller and metal's never been the best conduit for magic but it could be done."

"So…" Summer said, the first time someone other than him and Dillon had said anything. "We wait."

"Ye-ep." He agreed quietly. Dillon gave him an irritated sigh, scrubbing his hands down his face. Ziggy smiled and reached forward, gently grasping Dillon's hands in his. ;_I don't like it either.; _ He breathed along the bond. Dillon gave him a tight-lipped smile, tucking his watch back in his pocket when Ziggy handed it to him. ;_How did you deal with this for a year and a half?;_

;_I got used to it. I like to think I turned out just fine.; _ Ziggy told him, weary amusement floating through the bond. Something shifted in the back of his head in response to that statement, something important that he needed to remember. But it slipped through his fingers.

"You're doing it again." Scott said suddenly, drawing them from their conversation. There was frustration in his voice. Ziggy blinked up at him, all honest confusion. "Doing what?" he asked quietly.

"Staring!" Scott snapped. "You just… sit there and stare deeply into each other's eyes. It's almost disturbing because I'm waiting for one of you to jump the other." Ziggy grinned slightly while Dillon snorted. ;_That's some imagery.;_ Dillon told him, lips twitching upwards. Ziggy snickered, eyes glittering with new mirth. He opened his mouth to respond to Scott.

The alarms blared.

Ziggy raised his eyes to the ceiling, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is just getting annoying. We're trying to have conversations here!" he snapped upwards. "Give us a break!" Dillon snorted and held out a hand to pull him to his feet. "Who are you talking to?" he asked in amusement.

The younger man sighed softly and allowed his lover to pull him up. "Sometimes I wonder." He said as they headed towards the cars. Within seconds, they were speeding off.

The area where they were sent had already been cleared of people as was usual. However, there was also no army. What there was, was a young woman stumbling down the streets of Corinth. Her long black hair was knotted and hanging in front of her face, hiding her from view. Not that it mattered; the purple outfit she wore was all too recognizable. "Tenaya?" Dillon shouted as he quickly launched himself out of his car.

The attack-bot turned to them, eyes wide and dark. Her face was smudged with dirt and blood slipped down the left side of her face from a small gash on her forehead. It wasn't her only injury; her clothes were turn and ripped, darkened with blood and dirt. She was missing a shoe. A strangled sound tore out of her throat when she saw them, the start of a weak, terrified smile on her face. Dillon was at her side in a moment, crushing her body to his like he was afraid she would disappear on him. It probably wasn't that illogical a fear, all things considered.

Ziggy and the others held back, allowing the two siblings a quiet moment alone. Ziggy could see Dillon's lips moving next to Tenaya's ear, whispering words of reassurance to the trembling girl in his arms. His and Dillon's combined relief was almost enough to bring him to his knees. After a long moment, Dillon shifted his hold on Tenaya, the only warning she got before her brother swept her into his arms to carry her bridal-style to his car. She barely put up a fight to the careful treatment, which was worrisome. Tenaya had always been hardheaded and independent. Dillon should have gotten the sharp side of her tongue for treating her like glass. Instead, she merely buried her head in his neck and let him bare her to the car. Ziggy's sharp, sudden concern was reflected in Dillon's eyes.

As the two approached, Dillon looked at his teammates challengingly. The rest of the team merely backed towards their vehicles, still glancing around anxiously, waiting for Grinders to start pouring from the woodwork. Ziggy opened the door for Dillon. As the older man situated his sister in the back seat, Ziggy caught Tenaya's gaze. Her eyes were distant, unfathomable, and almost mad. The eyes of a Seer.

"Is she going to be okay?" Dillon asked as he stood. "Physically." Ziggy assured weakly. If the Venjix hardware prevented her from controlling her visions, there was a strong possibility her mind would fracture beneath the weight. Dillon's eyes told him he didn't need to broadcast that knowledge for him to understand.

"Let's go." The older man ordered shakily.

-0-0-

Tenaya sat upon the exam table in the lab like a rag doll, allowing K to perform as many tests on her as the young doctor deemed necessary with nary a word of protest. She seemed oblivious to the world, eyes staring blankly into space. Occasionally her eyes would focus on a single face before immediately dazing out again. It was starting to scare Dillon, who remained as close to her as he could without K glaring at him for being in the way.

Off to the side, Scott was talking to his father through one of K's computers, trying to catch the Colonel up as much as possible. Which was difficult, as the Colonel had never gotten his debriefing about the night the virus took over Dillon due to all the attacks from Venjix. Now, Scott was trying to give him a, from the sounds of it, _very _condensed version of the events, which was resulting in an intense argument.

That's when Ziggy slipped in next to Tenaya, ignoring K completely, to tie a heavy strip of clothe around Tenaya's eyes. Tenaya jerked slightly, then seemed to finally come back to herself, raising a hand to brush at the clothe around her eyes. Ziggy stepped back and looked up to meet everyone's confused stare. "Um, when uncontrolled, a seer's visions start to overlap and bleed with their natural eyesight. You uh see a person's face, and then you see everything that's going to happen to that person. It can start to adversely affect their mental stability. The blindfold helps focus enough to calm down and get a grip on controlling the visions."

"Why do you know that?" Scott demanded, breaking of his conversation with his father to stare at Ziggy. Dillon could hear the Colonel complaining about the shift of attention.

Ziggy returned Scott's strange look. "I grew up with her." He reminded, spreading his hands slightly in confusion.

"Oh, right." Scott said with a grimace. "I forgot." When everyone continued to stare at him, he shrugged. "It only happened two days ago, give me a break!"

"Was it only two days ago?" Dillon asked, sounding surprised. Ziggy snorted. "Depends on if you start the count when you lost to the virus or when we all went back to bed."

"Di… Dillon?" Tenaya asked haltingly, breaking through their conversation. Immediately, everyone's eyes swung back towards her. "Where am I?"

"The Garage." Dillon told her gently. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm… fine." Tenaya answered distantly, one hand reaching up to brush at the clothe over her eyes. K immediately caught her hand and pushed it away.

"Fine or FINE?" Ziggy asked, almost without thought, making everyone once again look at him.

"There's a difference?" Summer asked, eyebrows nearly buried in her hairline.

Tenaya's head was tilted to the side slightly as she considered it before she said, "The… last… one?"

Ziggy grimaced, a flood of worry sparking along the bond. "The first one is synonymous with alright." Ziggy told Summer, looking uncomfortable. "The second one is a movie reference. Ever seen _The Italian Job_?" he asked. While most shook their heads, a look of comprehension then stark concern slid across Flynn's face, which did not reassure Dillon at all. "It's an acronym. Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional."

Tenaya nodded again. "The last one, definitely." She confirmed. That comment made K return her attention to the examination she'd been giving the older girl. While that happened, Dillon focused his gaze on Ziggy, remembering their conversation from this morning. Ziggy met his gaze briefly before turning his head away, not saying anything, aloud or through the bond. The silence told him more than words ever could. Ziggy had, probably subconsciously, meant the second version.

"I think I'm done." K said, drawing him from his thoughts. "I'm not getting any trace of the virus. Whatever happened to you Dillon, it's different from this."

"How is she?"

"Physically, fine. She has a few lacerations but nothing's broken and fractured. I'm personally more worried about these visions degrading the cybernetics in her eyes."

"That would suck." Tenaya muttered. "And it would probably hurt."

"That's not all." K said over her. "Something's happened to her cybernetics."

"What do you mean?"

"To put it simply, she doesn't have much in the way of cybernetics anymore. There are her eyes, but the rest seems to have been stripped to the bare minimum. You remember how one hand used to be completely robotic? She could detach it?" K waited for Dillon to nod before she told him. "Well, that's gone. Both of her hands are flesh and blood now."

"Well," Ziggy said, as surprised as he was. "That's… unexpected."

Tenaya hummed, finally seeming to focus completely on the present as she started swinging her legs back and forth. "Honestly, it's a relief. I probably would have blown that hand up the minute I tried channeling magic through it. Magic and non-biological elements don't mix. It's amazing me and Dillon can still use magic with our implants at all."

There was a long moment of silence expect for Scott, who had gone back to his argument with his father. "You remember your past?" Dillon asked carefully.

"Well, yeah." Tenaya said. "The virus was blocking my memories and now it's gone so everything's pouring back into place. Admittedly, everything's still a bit jumbled, especially that last month. But I think that's from the trauma of the surgery which is probably why you can't remember that last month either, even though your memories were taken before that. I'm sure if you focus you could uncover those months, though I don't know why you would, all things considered."

Dillon stared at his sister for a long moment before letting his head fall forward and sighing deeply. "Why is it everyone remembers more about my life than I do?" he asked, sounding more pitiful than angry. Ziggy smiled slightly and gently patted him on the arm, which was useless considering Dillon could feel his amusement. Tenaya herself made an odd sound in the back of her throat and reached one hand forward. Dillon blinked but leaned forward when she beckoned him.

Bad idea.

Before he could react, Tenaya's hand moved around and smacked him smartly across the back of the head. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself." She ordered tartly.

Dillon immediately backed away and frowned at the white clothe over his sister's eyes. "Are we sure she can't see through that thing?" he asked, making Ziggy snort. "We used to ask that all the time when she was blind." The younger man said in amusement.

"You'll get them back." Tenaya said, as if Ziggy hadn't already told him that a hundred times. "Once your wish is fully paid for. Our wishes were a lot alike so it can't be that much longer. Just have to be- OW!" She yelped jerking away when Ziggy slapped her arm. "What was that for?"

"You talk too much." Ziggy told her, looking tired. "You weren't supposed to tell him that." Tenaya's eyebrows drew together briefly in confusion and she opened her lips to ask why before she paused and a look of understanding passed over her face. "Ohh."

Dillon watched her for a long moment before moving his eyes to Ziggy. "Is that why you have your magic back now? Because you had paid for your… wish?... Seriously, Wish?" he asked, turning his head to give Tenaya a strange look at the end.

But Tenaya's lips were pressed into a firm line. Dillon thought she might be glaring behind her blindfold. "Ziggy didn't make a wish." She said.

"Yes I did!"

Tenaya turned her head to look in Dillon's general direction. "Yell me. Does he look guilty? Cause he sounds guilty." Dillon glared at Ziggy. "He does."

"Okay." Ziggy said, wincing. "I did it after you two left."

"After we couldn't argue." Tenaya clarified. Ziggy nodded. "Exactly!"

"What did you do?" Dillon demanded. But Ziggy shook his head quickly. "Uh-uh. Not saying. This is the one good secret I have and I am not ruining it."

"I'm going to hurt you." Dillon said but it was obvious from his tone that he didn't mean it.

Before Ziggy could respond, Tenaya gave a strangled sound, crumbling in on herself. "Shit!" Dillon cursed, jerking forward to grab her before she tumbled off the bed. She didn't respond, laying limp in his arms. "What the hell?"

"It's just a vision." Ziggy soothed, helping him pull her back onto the exam bed. "She'll come back to herself in a minute."

"Does she normally faint?" K asked curiously, hands twitching for a scanner. "Depends on the vision. It's happened a few times."

After a second where she remained limp, Tenaya carefully reached one hand up to tug the blindfold off her eyes. "I want this off." She ordered shortly, hands already unknotting it. Ziggy took it as Dillon sat down next to Tenaya. "What did you See?" he asked.

"You're not going to like this." She told him before turning her eyes towards Ziggy. "You even less."

"Oh that's encouraging." Ziggy said before sighing and telling her. "Lets hear it. It can't be that bad."

"We need to go to the Grover mansion."


	15. Chapter 14

Remuré Memorium

Chapter 14

Dillon had no words for the fear that crashed through him then. It was a mind-numbing fear, the kind that locked the lungs and froze the body. Following right after that, was a vicious, brutal anger that left no word for mercy. It was a breathless moment before Dillon realized neither emotion belonged to him.

He turned his head to look at his lover. Very little of the emotion on Ziggy's face was comforting. He was so pale; it looked as if all of his blood had somehow slipped from his body. His eyes, though, seemed black as coal and filled with such an ugly hate. "No." Ziggy said, his voice to blank. "I'm not going back there."

"We have to." Tenaya told him, but even she looked a little sick. Ziggy didn't bother to respond. Instead he turned abruptly on his heel and fled. Dillon shot his sister an irritated glare before rushing after Ziggy.

"What was that about?" Summer asked quietly.

Tenaya winced and tangled her fingers in the short hairs at the nape of her neck. "Well, the thing is, and I might be wrong, my memory's a little fuzzy, but the last time Ziggy was actually at the Grover manor, he got disowned."

There was a long moment of silence before Summer asked, in a voice that was pretty poison, "He was what?"

Tenaya thought it was probably a good thing Jacob Grover- was Ziggy's father's name Jacob, or was it Jason? No, she was pretty sure it was Jacob- was dead. They didn't need Summer getting arrested for bloody murder right now.

-0-0-

Dillon climbed into the driver's seat of his car, turning his head to gaze at his passenger. Ziggy was crumbled in the passenger seat, head leaning against the glass. A strange calm was flowing through the bond; Dillon felt as if he was standing over thin ice, and what was waiting for him beneath was far from pretty. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked quietly.

Ziggy paused for a long moment then sighed. "My blood father was an ass. And possibly insane. Any chance we can leave it at that?" he asked, voice small and vulnerable. The ice cracked slightly.

"Yes. But we have to go." When Ziggy winced away from him, Dillon reached out to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You know we have to. I don't know much but I doubt we should ignore the word of a Seer." Ziggy went sickly, deathly pale, the ice cracking. "We have to go. What scares you so much about that place?"

The ice shattered and something like betrayal flooded down the link. "Because I… it was supposed to be home. The manor had been in the family for generations but to me, it was never home. My father hated me because I out-powered him, because I didn't have enough control, because I wouldn't be his puppet. My mother… Mother was _terrified_ of me… The only memories I have of that house are of my mother looking at me like I was some sort of wild animal. I don't want to go back there."

The words themselves hurt but it was the voice that broke his heart. Ziggy's voice was blank, reciting simple facts he had accepted long ago. Dillon carefully grabbed Ziggy's hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "Screw them." He said, making a small smile crack across Ziggy's face.

Ziggy turned his head to look at him, brown eyes no longer pained. "Do you know your father said the same thing?" he asked, voice gaining life. Dillon smiled slightly. "I guess I had to get it from somewhere."

"Your mother was one hell of a woman." Ziggy agreed, smile completely unfurling across his lips. Dillon laughed softly.

"There is another problem with your sister's plan." Ziggy told him. "One that has nothing to do with my personal feelings about the matter." When Dillon raised an eyebrow in question, Ziggy sad, grimacing a little. "I don't think she remembers, but Grover Manor is in northern Maine."

Dillon took one quick minute to remember where Maine was himself before uttering a dry "Ah."

-0-0-

"You do realize Maine is several days away and you blew up the Go-onger when you went to Kenmore?" Colonel Truman asked, rather patiently in his opinion. His son merely nodded, still standing at attention. "Well then, tell me, how are you planning to get there."

"Magic." Scott said simply.

"Magic?" Colonel Truman repeated dubiously.

"Magic." Scott confirmed.

"Enough with the echo." Ziggy snapped from his side, expression dark. His stance, curled slightly into himself, showed that he still disagreed with the idea of going. However, since Ziggy admitted all his reasons were severely personal, he was keeping his complaints to himself. The only reason Ziggy was here was because Scott preferred someone who remembered their magical training to convince his father. "Yes, look, magic!" Ziggy continued, fulfilling that exact role, only much more bitterly sarcastic than Scott had been hoping for. He spun one hand in a circle, brightly colored lights trailing after his fingers before going off in a small explosion. "Happy?" Ziggy asked him moodily from the corner of his mouth before making an odd motion with his hand, pulling a… "Is that a thermos?" He asked bemusedly. "Did you just conjure a thermos from thin air?"

"Oh, don't be stupid." Ziggy sniffed, sounding scarily like a combination of Dillon and Tenaya. Scott had to make sure he started hanging out with other people before the two completely corrupted him. "That's a waste of energy. I had Dillon make me coffee then merely called it from the Garage." Ziggy said.

"Because that's normal." Scott said.

Ziggy gave him a look that was finally not moody or belligerent but was amused and so tellingly at his expense. "It is for me." He said.

"Magic?" The Colonel finally asked, voice weak.

"Get used to it." Ziggy ordered, not even a hint of pity in his tone.

"What is with you today?" Scott asked, making Ziggy scowl.

"My mother didn't hug me enough as a child." Ziggy said calmly, watching him over the lip of his thermos. Scott was afraid Ziggy was actually telling the truth.

"What do you need for this trip?" Colonel Truman asked, trying admirably to regain his composure.

Ziggy just shook his head. "I can handle it all. We're just here to be polite." He said with an odd, completely blank smile on his face.

"Thank you for your time." Scott said with his own tight smile, grabbing Ziggy's collar to guide him out of the control room before he said something to get the Colonel angry. "et in the car." He ordered shortly, pushing Ziggy towards the passenger door. A sheepish look briefly crossed Ziggy's face as he got into the car, banishing his coffee cause he knew what Scott would say about it. Scott sighed as he followed. "You mind explaining that?"

"Tenaya told me what we're after." Ziggy said tiredly and exasperated. "It's a sword."

Scott resisted the urge to slam on the brakes and struggled to keep his eyes on the road instead of looking at Ziggy incredulously like he wanted to. "Well, okay. Not just _a _sword, I suppose." Ziggy continued. "My family was rather good at enchanting objects, especially weapons such as swords so we're going after one in particular. Still… principal of the thing." He said, waving one hand absently. Scott resisted the urge to grab Ziggy's hands and make them stay still so things didn't just appear in front of him. Fucking magic.

"I unnerve you." Ziggy said suddenly, giving him an unreadable look.

"Your sense of humor unnerves me." Scott corrected, making Ziggy laugh, bad mood gone.

When they arrived back at the Garage, Scott gently pushed Ziggy towards Dillon. "He's a nuisance." Scott said, tone conveying it wasn't a problem. Ziggy snuggled into Dillon's arms, self-satisfied smile on his face that made Scott sigh. He shook his head and walked into the lab to report to K just as Tenaya dashed towards the two bonded, carrying a large sheet of paper.

"I think this is right." Tenaya said, shoving the paper at him. Ziggy sighed, pulling away from Dillon's arms and taking it from her, running a quick eye over the carefully scribed runes. He blinked. "Did you use a calligraphy brush?" he asked then shook his head quickly. "No, wait, where did you _find_ a calligraphy brush?"

Tenaya blushed, rubbing the back of her head. Ziggy wasn't sure if he had picked up that habit from her or she from him. "Is that a problem?" she asked. Ziggy shook his head, turning his eyes back to the paper. "It looks fine." He said after carefully looking over the Gate spell and handed it back. Tenaya grinned at him before yanking it back and dashing away. Ziggy watched her bemused before looking at Dillon, who was resting his head in the curve of Ziggy's shoulder. "Hey you."

Dillon smiled and pressed a kiss against his shoulder like a secret. "You're certainly feeling better." He said. Ziggy made a non-committal sound, leaning into the solid strength of Dillon's body. "I'm just not looking forward to tomorrow."

"You're really tense." Dillon muttered. Ziggy smiled when he felt Dillon's hands travel to his sides. "Tickle and die." He warned. Dillon chuckled against his ear, arms moving to his waist to tug him closer. "We'll manage." Dillon said.

-0-0-

The thing was, Ziggy always slept on his back. So Dillon had never noticed it. Now that he had, it was fair, perhaps a bit of an understatement, to say his was angry. Livid would perhaps be a better term. Ziggy froze in the process of changing for bed when the emotion spun across the bond and didn't even react when Dillon placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him in place. "Who did this?" Dillon asked, voice too soft, trailing a finger slowly down the brutal scar on his back. It ran slightly diagonally down the left side of his back, almost to his spine.

"You'll get angry." Ziggy warned. Dillon's hand tightened on his shoulder. "I'm already angry." He replied, voice tight. Ziggy sighed and carefully reached out to take the hand on his shoulder. "A parting gift from my father."

Everything coming from Dillon just shut down. There was a long moment of nothing that worried Ziggy more than the anger had.

Dillon stumbled away from him, shock and horror written in everything he was. Ziggy turned around as Dillon sat down on the bed. "He… he abused you?" Dillon finally managed.

"Not really. It was the first time he raised a hand against me."

"With a knife!" Dillon snapped.

"It was sword, actually." Ziggy corrected, so matter-of-factly that Dillon just wanted to shake some sense into him.

"I'm going to kill." Dillon vowed. "He's already dead." Ziggy said, kneeling down between his legs. "And your father beat him senseless when it happened."

"Why wasn't I the one hurting him?" he snarled.

Ziggy sighed and laid his head on one of Dillon's knees. Dillon relaxed slightly, brushing his fingers through Ziggy's hair. "You were more concerned with making sure I didn't bleed to death before one of the Kane Healers arrived." Ziggy informed him.

"What did you do? To make him do that?" Dillon asked, unsure if he really wanted an answer.

Ziggy raised brown eyes up to him. "I didn't do what he wanted me to." He said. "My father… he wasn't right, Dillon. He went mad somewhere along the way. Me choosing to do what I wanted was just a kind of last straw."

"You believe that?" he asked. Ziggy's eyes dropped. "I have to."

Dillon sighed heavily and pulled Ziggy up onto the bed with him, letting them both fall back onto the pillows. "One day. Then we can rave the damn manor to the ground."

Ziggy's grin was hidden in his shoulder. "Can we?" he asked in a happy, dreamy tone.

"No one'll miss it." Dillon agreed. Ziggy laughed softly as he settled in to sleep.

-0-0-

Dillon watched Ziggy write out the runes Tenaya had shown them yesterday, this time in magic, across the entrance to the Garage. The magic was bright and Dillon couldn't ascribe a color to it. Which he knew from talking to the others was better than most. Summer said she couldn't focus on it, that every time she looked her eyes just glided right past. Dillon sighed, turning to look at the young woman standing next to him. "Do you know Ziggy's father hurt him?" He asked Tenaya.

Tenaya's eyes flickered towards him, her blindfold still hanging loosely around her neck in case her powers acted up again. "Yes, of course. Ziggy was terrified of him." She said, making him frown.

"Ziggy said he only hurt him once."

Tenaya's expression was blank for a long moment, the expression she still sometimes got when she struggled to piece her memories together. Finally, she sighed. "He's good it, telling half-truths so he doesn't have to technically lie. He doesn't like worrying us, so he figured out how to do it early on, enough to fool the bond at least." She paused for a moment, frowning as she struggled to explain what he had lived through with her. "Jacob never laid a hand on Ziggy until that scar on his back. But the threat of it was always there with him. And more than that, for the longest time, Ziggy wanted his approval and could never get it. Jacob had these impossible expectations of Ziggy. It was all psychological." Tenaya smiled slightly. "It's amazing Ziggy came out so well. Although it might be because he spent so little time at that house as a child."

"Ziggy said his father was crazy."

"That's… rather polite. He went completely insane. But then again, Ziggy's more the exception than the rule concerning Grovers. That whole family was always a little… off." Tenaya said, smiling slightly.

"Anything else he probably didn't tell me?" he asked. From the way Tenaya averted her eyes, he'd said Ziggy had. "What is it?"

"Jacob Grover, from the time he was a child, had this idea that he could unite our families. And he saw Ziggy and I as a way to do that; we were puppets in his mind, not people. I don't know why Father agreed to the marriage, but he grew up with Jacob and it wasn't till he really got to know Ziggy that he realized how far his friend had fallen from sanity. And then the bond started appearing and everything just kind of fell apart for a while when Jacob found out. He called Ziggy home and ordered him to stop everything. But Ziggy, he loved you so much and he'd seen what a father is supposed to be so he refused. Jacob snapped. Jacob disowned him, then tried to destroy the bond."

"I thought you couldn't do that."

"Once it's completed no. Only the strongest Sorcerers can break a complete _Reiniku Heri_ and those that can, know better. But when it's just forming, it's vulnerable. And Jacob's sword was highly enchanted by old, old magic. If he had succeeded, the both of you would have probably gone at least half-mad. Father, and the Kane elders were furious. It broke the treaty between our families. We're lucky a war didn't start and that the Grover elders were willing to give Ziggy to us." A darkly bitter smile crossed her face. "They backed up Jacob's decision to disown Ziggy, so they really didn't have much choice when we asked for him. Well, we didn't really ask. We just stormed into the manor and took him away before anyone could react." Something viciously satisfied filled her eyes. "I hope you regain your memories just for the memory of their faces when we did it."

He sighed heavily and looked over at his lover to see he was almost done. "See you on the other side." He said, walking forward to wrap his arms around Ziggy, careful not to interrupt the movement of Ziggy's hands. The last rune fell into place, the magic pulled inward to a point in the middle of the garage door, then pushed outward towards the edges in a kaleidoscope of magic. After a moment, the magic settled and the image of an iron gate and long driveway filled the entryway of the Garage.

Ziggy slumped in his hold from the use of magic and reached for his hand, sighing in relief when the bond flooded warmth and magic through his body. "I get to burn it when we're done, right? Exercise a few demons?"

Dillon nodded and offered him a soft smile. He looked over his shoulder at the others. "Ready?" he asked. The others nodded, a few shrugging on the backpacks that held extra supplies in case something went wrong. Scott stepped up before a strange expression crossed his face and he motioned with his hand towards the Gate. "You can go first." He told them. Dillon snorted. "Scardy-cat." He muttered under his breath but obediently stepped through the Gate with Ziggy in hand.


End file.
